


Passing the Time

by tsheps



Series: The White Knight of Omega [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Long-Distance Relationship, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:12:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3922423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsheps/pseuds/tsheps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the galactic war and their own personal struggles, Aria T'loak and Councilor Tevos have settled reluctantly into a long distance relationship.  They struggle to find time for each other in the middle of their hectic lives, and manage to make the most of it when they do.</p>
<p>Part of my work 'The White Knight of Omega'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It seemed like time for these two to indulge in a little well earned smut! 
> 
> As far as structure for this fic- every other chapter will be smutty, every other plotty. Although I reserve the right to add more smut as I see fit. ;) Looks like it's just gonna be that kind of spring for me...

Aria T'loak's body radiated frustration as she parked the compact all-terrain vehicle, hearing the howling of the wind and snow over the crunch of the huge snow tires.  She squinted through the windshield, already losing its never ending battle with the frost that tried to cover its surface.  Through the jagged needles growing on the glass, she could see the outline of the two story stone cabin that was her goal.  She knew the drive from the nearest space port to this spot would be long, but she had not anticipated the blizzard.  The snow and wind slowed her journey by almost a half hour, and she had been impatient to get here from the start.

It had been just over two months since Councilor Gabrielle Tevos had come to see her on Omega with Shepard in tow.  All of the misunderstandings and bitterness over the previous year apart had been swept away in an instant, but neither could simply leave their life behind to chase the other to the space station she called home.  So they had started a long distance relationship, both determined to make it work until the loose strings of their lives could be woven together.  They had vid chatted and sent messages every day, each finding time in their busy schedules for the other without fail.  But they had not been able to see each other in person.  Their chats became tinged with desperation, their messages devolved to monologues of longing.  It had been surprisingly difficult to carve out time to meet in secret. 

Until now.  Until this week.  They had seven uninterrupted days together to reconnect and reaffirm their love.  It had been seven days.  Then a near catastrophe at the salvage operation of the Omega 4 Relay meant Aria would be a half day late.  Then there was a problem with the ship she was supposed to take to the frozen side of the planet Loki, and it would be a full day late.  She clung to those six days, feeling the loss of twenty-four hours like a bullet hole in her gut.  So she bought a new ship for the sole purpose of shaving two hours off the trip to her romantic week away. 

The flight was perfect, not a hitch in the arrangements until she got word of the storm on the planet's surface.  The agent at the rental car company warned her not only of the snow, but also of the migration of the planet's native yargh.  A yargh, the irritating salarian explained as he completed the mountain of paperwork, is an indigenous creature similar to Earth's polar bear.  Only the yargh is ten to twelve feet tall, has razor sharp claws on its front paws, and it's thick, white hair is longer and softer.  Also, on the first major blizzard of a galactic year they migrate to their traditional mating grounds which just happened to be within a few miles of the remote cabin Tevos had booked.  And this was the first blizzard of the year.  And their migration route ran directly across the only mountain pass that could be used to access the cabin.  If it hadn't been socked in and made impassable over the last eight hours of snowfall.  She'd only had to shoot three yargh who got in her way on the trip.  And she blasted through a wall of snow only slightly taller than her vehicle.  No harm done, really.

No, the thing that frustrated her most was the call that had somehow managed to make it through the distortions of both space and the storm in the quiet last ten minutes of her drive.  It was Governor Grothan Pazness calling to negotiate the sale of several essential and expensive mass relay parts he wanted to purchase from Aria.  She would never have answered the call, but the deal was essential.   Not only did Omega stand to make a fortune off the parts he wanted, but travel to his system was next to impossible without the relay.  The High Command had made it clear to Aria that getting him those parts was a priority for Thessia.  Tevos had made the same point clear on behalf of the Council, though, her insistence had a much greater appeal to Aria.  She had been getting changed for bed while they spoke over vid chat, and had chosen her timing well.  So now it was up to Aria to make the deal, but to make it in a way that did not betray her true allegiances.  While the challenge was the fun of it for Aria, the Governor's timing was terrible.

Now that she had finally made it to her goal, the warm cabin with Tevos inside, the aggravating politician on the other end of the call wouldn't shut up.  They hadn't even begun to haggle.  She sat in the vehicle for some time, trying to steer the conversation toward numbers to no avail.  The cold of the night started to creep into the car.  Aria had a very particular style.  The leather pants and heavy boots were always a requirement.  The white leather jacket, being a special favorite of Tevos's, could not be abandoned.  So her only concession to the weather on this hunk of ice was a ridiculously tight, spandex shirt with long sleeves and enough length to cover her entire midriff.  She found it insufficient to the purpose at the moment.  The governor rattled on and Aria answered mechanically, eyeing the yellow glow coming from the glass panes on the door of the cabin with a longing that was almost palpable.  Her eyes flickered to the heavy duffel bag in the passenger's seat.  The howl of the wind died a fraction, and the curtain of snow became less opaque. 

The decision was made without conscious thought.  She muted the call, grabbed the duffel, and wrenched the vehicle’s door open.  She sprinted for the cabin, ice crystals smacking into her unprotected face and stinging like a swarm of bees.  The carpet of snow was thick under her boots, but she had run through worse.  She had barely begun to shiver when she was at the door.  It was the old fashioned kind with a handle instead of a pressure button sunk into thick, wooden beams.  Her thumb sank down on the latch, making an oddly satisfying click as it disengaged.  The door was heavier than she expected, and she had to put her shoulder into it to push it open.  She just had it closed behind her when the call required her response. 

Aria looked around the foyer as she turned the sound back on to her call.  It was a small space, maybe four feet square, with rounded stone walls and polished wooden floors.  There was a short staircase leading to an archway in front of her, and she spoke to the Governor as she slung the duffel over her shoulder and said, "The bottom line, Gro, is that I'm your only choice."

_You know that's not true, Aria.  The Crucible scientists have been working on reverse engineering..._

Aria started for the stairs, her elbow bent out in front of her, the weight of her bag bearing down on the hand on her shoulder.  She was pleased to hear the hint of annoyance in his voice, so she cut him off, "They've been working hard, yes.  But you know as well as I do that they project their work will be slow.  Maybe six months before they have a viable product.  Can the people of your system stand to be cut off from the rest of the galaxy for yet another six months?"

She had to bend slightly to get through the archway, emerging into the kitchen of the cabin.  The area was open and expansive, the ceilings here of normal height, but they soared as they met with the living room.  That room was sunken a few feet below the level she stood now.

_I have no doubt that the work will progress apace, Aria.  Your own councilor seems..._

"Oh yes, my councilor is..."

But what Tevos was, he was not destined to find out.  As Aria's eyes scanned the room, they fell on the massive stone fireplace that dominated the room.  Inside it a fire blazed hotly and she was in the process of moving towards it to warm herself when she saw the rug in front of it.  It seemed to be made of a yargh skin, the hair thick and plush.  Aria's bag slipped from her hand and slammed to the floor.

_Aria?  You were saying?  About Councilor Tevos?_

Again, Aria didn't answer.  Because there was the woman herself.  In the flesh. And oh that flesh.  There was so much of it for Aria to see.  Tevos lay on the yargh skin rug, propped on her elbow and holding a glass of wine in her long fingers.  She wore a seductive, come hither look and absolutely nothing else.  
  
Aria let her eyes run over every inch of that pristine blue skin.  Reveling in the contrast to the fluffy whiteness of the fur she lay upon.  Her naked breasts hung deliciously, the nipples stiff despite the warmth of the roaring fire.  Aria's knees suddenly felt very weak.  
  
Tevos had made the arrangements for this getaway.  She had found the most remote destination and the most inhospitable time to visit in order to avoid unwanted attention.  She had arranged for the cabin and the flights and the transportation.  Aria had received a package with the details of the itinerary and an additional item.  A strap-on with a sensation transmitting plate at its base and a very detailed, handwritten note describing all the things she wanted to do to Aria while she was wearing it.  Aria had to sit down reading it because the very idea made her dizzy with need.  At the moment, the toy was firmly in place, and it responded immediately to her arousal, swelling uncomfortably against the tight leather of her pants.  Tevos eyed the bulge with interest and Aria whimpered in frustration.  
  
_Aria?  Are you there?_  
  
"Yes, governor.  I'm here.  Can you blame me for being bored with our little chat?" Tevos's brows raised in surprise and she took a long, slow sip of her wine. "Why don't we continue this another time, Gro?  When you're more interesting."  
  
Tevos shook her head sharply in disapproval.  Aria pleaded with her eyes, but Tevos would not give in, giving a slower but equally expressive shake.  It seemed Aria's only chance at relief was to close the deal.  
  
_I'm sure you can spare a few moments to close a deal worth a million credits, Aria._  
  
Tevos crooked her finger, beckoning Aria to her.  Trying to walk with the swollen toy between her legs was a challenge, but she managed to get to Tevos without crawling at least.  The councilor had reached behind her as Aria approached, grabbing a glass full of amber liquid off of a low table. 

Aria stopped at the end of the rug to kick off her boots, saying to the governor, "A million credits?  You think too highly of my generosity."  
  
Tevos walked to where Aria stood and handed her the glass.  Aria sniffed appreciatively then took a grateful swallow of a truly excellent anejo tequila.  The pepper burned her throat in an extremely pleasant way and the earthy aroma filled her mouth.  She grinned and Tevos leaned in, pressing the length of her warm, naked body against Aria.  She left a wet kiss on Aria's neck that, combined with the press of that lithe body, caused the ache between Aria's thighs to triple.  
  
_What figure did you have in mind?  
_  
Tevos pulled back from Aria's neck with a smirk.  She had heard the tinny voice through Aria's earpiece and she held up three fingers.  Aria's mouth fell open.  The price was astronomically high.  Ridiculously high.  It would either lead to an angry refusal to negotiate, an option that the governor really didn't have, or a more prolonged haggling.  The latter must be Tevos's goal.  She slid her hands down to the zipper of Aria's pants and pulled the tab down, popping the button open with her thumb.  The release of pressure almost made Aria moan, but she did not want to have to explain _that_ to the governor.  Tevos reached in a pulled the shaft of the toy out with a gentle, stroking touch that made Aria's eye roll back.  
  
Aria's voice only croaked a little when she responded, "Three million."  
  
Tevos smiled her approval, flicking a finger over Aria's bottom lip in lieu of the kiss that couldn't be returned without giving the game away.  Then she slowly lowered herself to her knees.  
  
_Three million!  That's ridiculous, even coming from you!_  
  
Aria let her head fall back, feeling Tevos's hand wrap around her shaft and said, "Make me an offer."  
  
The councilor's lips wrapped around her head, enveloping her in wet heat and stealing the breath from her lungs.  
  
_One and a quarter at most._  
  
"Two million..." The lips and hand were suddenly gone and Aria almost shouted, "Two and a half or I hang up on you right now."

She couldn't hold back her groan as Tevos was back on her, but this time she took the first several inches into her mouth, sucking gently as reward for the hard line Aria was taking.  Fortunately, the governor couldn't hear over his roar of annoyance.  
  
_You can't be serious!  That's criminal!  
_  
"I'm the Queen of Omega, Gro.  What did you expect?"  
  
Tevos purred around her and flicked her tongue over Aria's head.  Waves of pleasure flooded through her as she started to embrace the game.  Her mind spun with ways to position her next move, eager to discover what her reward might be.  
  
_I can go as high as one and a half, but I'll have to raise taxes throughout the system to get the money._  
  
Aria knew he was bluffing.  The industry on Camala alone since the end of the war could have twice over paid for the equipment, "Or you may have to retire in ten years instead of five.  Don't try to play me, governor, I own all the top scores.  Two and a half."  
  
Tevos started bobbing her head distractingly, pumping her fist in time with her mouth.  Aria could feel every motion in her aching clit, driving her closer and closer.  
  
_Please, Aria, work with me!  There are powerful interests here in Indris.  They'd have my head if I lost them profits!  One point seven-five?_  
  
"I have interests to think about, too.  The people of Omega who risk their lives every day to salvage parts so that your millionaires can have their asari clothes and hanar liquors imported from around the galaxy."  
  
Tevos's ministrations picked up steam, her tongue swiping back and forth over the most sensitive spot on the very tip of her head.  The muscles of her abdomen began to clench in anticipation of her release.  
  
_Fine.  You win, Aria.  Two and a quarter and I seriously can't go any higher than that._  
  
The defeat in his voice was almost as thrilling as the feel of Tevos's mouth wrapped around her.  Her inner walls began to quiver and her mind begged to meld.

"Done.  Two and a quarter.  Call Bray to arrange delivery once the money is sent." She threw her mind forward and it swirled immediately around the open consciousness of Tevos.  "It's been a pleasure."  
  
She disconnected the call just as her body flew apart in ecstasy.  Her knees threatened to buckle as her hips rocked forward in time with the pulse of her orgasm.  She moaned out loud while inside the meld she heard the tinkling, teasing laugh of her lover.  She reached out and gripped Tevos's crest as a particularly strong aftershock rocked her, stroking her thumb over the dips there.  
  
_You're quite the negotiator, darling._  
  
Tevos released her and sat back on her heels, looking up with a mischievous grin and slowly retracting from the meld.  
  
Aria remembered the drink in her hand and took another deep swallow, allowing the alcohol to soothe her slightly frayed nerves, "I had appropriate incentive.  Goddess, Brielle, you..."  
  
She couldn't quite come up with the words she was looking for so she just shook her head and drained the glass.  Setting it on a nearby table, she moved to take off her jacket, sliding the leather from her shoulders, "Excellent tequila.  I'm surprised you got it for me, after the way I acted the last time I drank it around you."  
  
Tevos took the jacket from her, pressing her nose to the collar and breathing deeply with a groan.  Then she folded it into a neat square and lay it behind her on the rug.  
  
"You mean crass and insufferable and inappropriately forward?" She lay down on the rug again, the folded jacket acting as a pillow for her as she settled herself on her back.  "That's exactly how I want you tonight.  That's exactly how I always want you."  
  
Aria growled with pleasure as she pulled the shirt over her head and flung it aside.  Tevos trailed her hands down her own stomach as she devoured Aria with her eyes.  
  
Aria growled again, "Don't even think about it.   That body is mine."  
  
Tevos bit her bottom lip and squirmed, but stopped the roaming of her hands.  Aria looked her over with a possessiveness she hadn't felt before the tequila hit her blood.  The toy between her legs twitched as she decided which part of her lover she would reclaim first.  She could hear the quickening of Tevos's breathing as she peeled the pants off of her legs.

Fully naked at last, she gently kicked Tevos's feet apart and knelt between them.  The heat from the fireplace washed over her, mimicking the effects of the booze and the long months of frustrated desire.  The slickness between Tevos's legs was evident in the flickering light, and she longed to bury herself deep inside.  Satiate the need that only seemed to increase after her first orgasm.  She forced herself to breathe through the blinding desire.  They had six glorious days ahead of them.  She didn't need to rush, didn't want to rush.  Who knew when they would have the luxury of this much time again?  
  
"Aria, please..." The pleading note in Tevos's voice brought her back to herself.  She had already experienced a slight relief, but Brielle was still humming with need.  
  
Aria lowered her face down towards her lover, fainting an approach at her dripping azure before moving instead to drop light kisses on the points of her hipbones and up the flat plane of her stomach.  Tevos arched into every kiss, her pelvis rising off the floor, seeking some piece of skin to press against.  Aria dodged her attempts to find relief, moving instead to trace her tongue over her ribs and up the swell of her breast.  When her tongue flicked over the hard nipple, Tevos gripped painfully hard at her shoulder.  She opened her mouth just slightly, and Tevos arched into her again, pressing the bud past her lips into her mouth.  She latched on with lips and the very edge of her teeth skittered over the tip.  
  
Tevos gasped and arched up again, her hand moving to hold Aria by the crest again her breast.  Finally, her hips met the surface of Aria's chiseled abdomen.  She painted Aria with wetness and moaned deep in the back of her throat.  
  
"Aria... Goddess, I need you.  I need you inside me."  
  
All attempt at prolonging the moment through teasing was lost.  The begging did her in and the throb of her clit forced her to act.  Tevos wrapped a long leg around Aria in an attempt to keep her in place, and Aria grabbed it under the knee.  She hooked the knee over her shoulder and pressed her body up so she hovered above Tevos, their faces inches apart.  Pulling the leg with her opened her lover to her wide, and as she sunk down to kiss Tevos, she used a hand to guide her shaft into the swollen folds of her azure.  
  
Her head slipped past the tight ring of muscle as their lips finally met.  Tevos whimpered into her lips and her fingers dug into Aria's neck.  Aria stilled her hips, allowing Tevos to adjust to the stretch as their tongues danced around each other.  She knew that Tevos had very little experience with this type of penetration, preferring the females of all races and rarely maintaining a relationship long enough to progress too far into sexual play.  So she held her position long after she may have continued with another lover.  Even though this was Tevos's idea, she was determined to go slowly and provide pleasure rather than pain.  
  
After another moment of hungry kisses, Tevos pushed her hips up slightly, inviting Aria to go deeper.  Inwardly, she thanked the Goddess for permission to proceed.  She yearned to be buried to the hilt inside Brielle, thrusting greedily and filling her until she burst.  Instead she inched forward, moving until she felt Tevos pull back.   She reached down and pressed a thumb into Tevos's clit, swirling light circles so that the delay in pleasure did not kill her desire.  Her attentions earned another moan of pleasure, and her own body shivered at the sound.  
  
Finally she was buried fully inside and Tevos pulled back from the kiss, gasping.  Aria asked with her eyes if she was okay, and Tevos nodded, her pupils starting to swirl outward.  Aria pulled back and gently thrust back in, a pang of need flashing through her as she was buried back inside.  Tevos moaned and arched into her, grinding her clit against Aria's thumb harder as she did so.  Tevos's hand went to her hip, guiding her into a steady rhythm.  Tevos turned her face, breathing deeply into Aria's jacket under her head.  
  
Aria's rhythm picked up, her body demanding climax.  She had to remove her hand from between them in order to hold herself up, so she canted her hips to grind against Brielle's clit in its place.  The change caused an audible response for her lover and there was a familiar press at her mind, begging for admittance.  She had barely folded Tevos's consciousness into her own when the councilor peaked and screamed her name across the mental connection.  
  
Rather than slowing her rhythm, Aria picked it up, her own impending orgasm demanding it.  She felt the rise of a second release in Tevos and fought to delay her own so that they could come together.  She gritted her teeth against the intoxicating feel of Tevos's inner walls fluttering around her, waiting until the flash of color and emotion in her mind told her she had brought her lover over the edge again. Then she let down her defenses and collapsed with a weak grunt as her own explosion overtook her.  She lay on top of Tevos, her body glistening with sweat and shaking with exhaustion for a long time.  She shuddered with each breath, feeling the exquisite relief of finally being together again flow through their entwined minds.  
  
When she was finally able to move, she withdrew gently from Tevos and rolled onto her back.  Tevos moved with her, wrapping a leg over her thighs and curling against her.  She rested her head on Aria's shoulder, and Aria pulled her close, kissing the top of her crest.  Tevos reached out mentally and showed Aria how much she had wanted this.  Not just the sex, but the intimacy of her closeness.  The smell of her body and the feel of her skin.  The distance had been hard, but the emptiness had been filled merely by her presence.  Aria reciprocated, showing Tevos how strong the need to talk in person had been.  To see the little motions of body language that were lost through the vids.  They felt each other's loneliness and soothed it at the same time.  Then they quietly disconnected the meld, wanting to feel in the physical world instead of the emotional.

After a long time just holding each other, Tevos trailed a fingernail down Aria's chest towards her abdomen.  Raising her head off the woman's shoulder she said in a provocative voice, "So, what would it take to convince you to do that again?"  
  
Aria grinned, and with a lighting quick movement was hovering above Tevos, one hand pinning the asari down by her shoulder, "Be careful, Councilor.  I'm known to be a ruthless negotiator."


	2. Chapter 2

The lights in the hallways of the newly rebuilt government offices on the Citadel were still dim.  The artificial dawn had not yet risen over the Presidium lake.  Tevos had entered the elevator from her apartment alone save her personal guard.  It had not stopped on any other floors, but went straight to the lobby and deposited them there.  Her three-inch heels clicked on marble tiles as she walked through the deserted halls.  She wore a close fitting floor length jacket in a flowing, camel colored fabric to ward off the chill of the early morning air.  The tails flared out behind her as she walked.  She carried her bag over one shoulder, the weight of it bouncing against her hip.  Her other arm was loaded with files and datapads.

She entered the code to unlock the offices of the asari councilor, noting with more resignation than annoyance the dark and still offices of the other councilors lining the hall.  There were whole weeks which passed when she saw the other councilors only during the hours of review.  She would come in early to empty halls and leave late to the same.  Her assistant had not yet arrived either, so she flipped on the lights in the outer office.  Andromeda's desk was tidy as always, her files appropriately locked away, her personal terminal locked and dark.  The only item not stowed carefully away was a datapad neatly positioned in the center of the tabletop.  It contained Tevos's schedule for the day, and she picked it up to take it with her as she entered her own office. 

When one entered the offices of the asari councilor, one first had to filter through the waiting room in which Andromeda's desk predominated.  The few chairs in there were stiff and cold without padding or adornment.  They were not meant to be welcoming.  They were meant to drive the curious or the ill-prepared back to the assistant's desk to make an appointment for a future date.  If one was fortunate enough to have secured an appointment or lucky enough to arrive during the few spare moments during the councilor's day, a door was located just beside the assistant's desk.  This gave the individual access only to a hallway leading to the councilor's personal offices.  It was carpeted and the walls were covered with stunning examples of the universally renowned asari free-form painting.  The swirls of blue and purple in every imaginable shade represented a shift from a council dominated area to an asari dominated zone.  Despite her love for all persons of all species, Tevos was first and foremost dedicated to the asari people.  She wanted her offices to reflect that fact.

As she walked through this hallway now, she felt her spirit reinvigorated in the way this artwork and this space always did to her.  Being the daughter of an artist, she had always appreciated the way a simple splash of color or an exquisitely curved line could change the whole aspect of one's day.  She sighed heavily with relief as she strode towards the door of her sanctuary.  As she entered the code to her private office she reflected on the great responsibility she had by being its occupant.  It was a responsibility she relished.  One she cherished.  It was a great gift of her people, being the only elected official of the asari people. 

The door clicked open and she entered, the lights gradually increasing to the level she had preprogrammed.  One of her favorite features of the office built for her on the new Citadel was the ability to tailor the space perfectly to her liking.  The lights in her office did not flash on and off, the intensity of them increased and decreased based on the time of day.  Some days she worked until she realized she was sitting in a nearly cave dark room, the hour of her scheduled exit having long since passed.  Lately she had suspected Andromeda adjusted that time to an earlier hour in order to get Tevos to go home.  She had been working long hours since the Citadel reopened less than a year and a half after it was nearly destroyed by the Reapers.  Residents were slow to come back after so many attacks.  The geth, Cerberus, the Reapers.  It was unsurprising that they were hesitant, but her workload only seemed to increase even with a diminished population.

The office itself was dominated by her desk.  It was large and warm, made from the wood of a tree that only grew in the Armali region on Thessia.  The wood was a rich, buttery brown full of sunny yellow tones.  The grain was gnarled and knotted and reminded her of the hands of old day-laborers, and the desk itself was carved in sweeping patterns. It had been a gift from Liara, who had now assumed a permanent role as an attaché in the asari delegation. The desk had been carved from a single trunk of a tree that had grown for thousands of years on the T’soni estate. It had been destroyed by the Reapers, and Liara had commissioned the desk as a gift for her. 

Tevos allowed her fingertips to glide along the polished surface as she walked past it to the closet hidden in a recess behind her desk.  The recess also held her private bathroom, and, after she hung her coat, she smoothed the fabric of her dress in the mirror over the sink.  She frowned at the bags under her eyes.

 The previous night she had stayed awake far later than was normal for her.  She had been chatting with Aria.  They spoke of nothing in particular, just relating the mundane happenings of their days, but the sight of her, even in holo form made Tevos ache with loneliness.  She had prolonged the conversation until Aria yawned so widely Tevos could hear her jaw click.  She smiled and wished her pleasant dreams, ending the call with a wave of sadness.  She had then sat on her couch, staring into thin air, wishing for all the things she could not have.  She shook herself and finally crawled into bed. 

She had barely closed her eyes when she was shaken awake by her own sobs.  She had dreamt of a perfect little purple face smiling up at her.  Then the face had dissolved into tears and disappeared from her arms.  She knew she would live with the pain of her miscarriage for years, possibly forever, but it had been so long since she'd had a nightmare that this one hurt worse than she had anticipated.  Despite the early hour and the lack of sleep, she had no chance of going back to sleep.  It was moments like this that she felt the distance between herself and Omega.  When the need to be held in a pair of strong arms was like a physical pain.

She shook the memory from her with a determination that this office always bred in her.  She had no time to be sad or tired.  She had work to do.  So she took her bag back to her desk and got to work.  She had been at it for almost an hour when there was a light tap at the door.  Andromeda did not wait for her to respond before opening it and entering, a datapad under her arm and a tray of food in her hands.

"Good morning, Councilor.  I took the liberty of bringing you breakfast, as I doubt you found the time to feed yourself."

Andromeda was a startlingly short asari, barely over five feet, with royal blue skin of a hue so rich it almost shimmered and slim, delicate hips.  Her walk was light and airy, as though her feet only barely skimmed the floor as she moved.  She had a penchant for silk scarves tied in intricate patterns at her throat and her fingers fairly dripped with thick, tarnished metal rings.  Her face was fresh and young without a single marking or blemish, belying her nearly six hundred years of life.  Despite the fact that she appeared childlike because she was petite, she walked with a dignity few could match and her booming, melodious voice dominated any room she entered.  Some of the aides and even a councilor or two had taken to calling her ‘Tevos's Watchdog’ because of her legendary ability to run off unwanted or abusive individuals who appeared at the asari’s office door.  It was assumed that Tevos had her well trained or that Andromeda was devoted to her boss.

The irony of the situation was that they were barely civil to each other for most of the time they had worked together.  Tevos had inherited Andromeda as her assistant.  She had served under at least two previous councilors, though no one quite remembered how long she had worked in the embassy.  Shortly after Tevos arrived, Andromeda came into her office and explained, quite professionally but quite firmly that she was the one who made this office run and Tevos should simply do as she was told.  Tevos had tried to have her replaced after that, but found herself incapable of having the woman removed.  They butted heads frequently over the first two decades, almost completely ignored each other for most of the third, and came to an uncomfortable truce early in the fourth. 

It wasn't until the mess with Saren and the Battle of the Citadel that the two had begun to actually respect each other.  Valern had waffled.  Sparatus had huffed and preened.  Only Tevos had been firm and decisive.  The fact that her decision had been shown, in the fullness of time, to be the wrong one made little difference to Andromeda.  She respected a woman with a backbone.  She respected a woman with ideals.  She unbent far enough to applaud Tevos's actions.  The two finally began to work as a cohesive unit, and the results were astonishing.  The asari delegation was the pride of Council Space. 

Andromeda had been by her side on Thessia after the Reaper War.  She was the only one other than the doctors and, much later, Aria who knew about the miscarriage.  She had never been bonded, never been a mother.  She sat at Tevos's bedside, holding her hand as the councilor wept and told her about how she had been a bride to Thessia for all of these years.  She had devoted herself to the love of her life: the asari people.  She never asked who the father was.  Never pried into the details of how a single woman who never had any dates could have gotten pregnant in the midst of a war to end all wars.  Instead she quietly and finally became Tevos's friend.  She became her watchdog.  Instead of treating her like a mildly irritating younger sibling, she began to treat the woman with a devoted kindness.

She walked in and put the tray of fruit and granola in front of Tevos, then she sat in the chair opposite the desk and folded her hands in her lap.  She stared at the councilor pointedly.  Tevos sighed and picked up her fork, spearing a plump thistleberry on her fork and transferring it to her mouth.  It was a fruit native to Thessia and had a sharp, almost citrus flavor.  The minute she bit into it and the juices flooded over her tongue, her stomach growled to remind her that she had not eaten since lunch the day before.  Andromeda smiled triumphantly and finally looked down at the datapad in her lap.  She scrolled through the first few pages while Tevos ate steadily. 

When she pushed the plate away, picking up the cup of sweet, lemony tea, Andromeda finally spoke, "I'm afraid you have quite a full day today, Councilor.  Appointments begin in twenty minutes.  I haven't scheduled anything too long, mainly just requests for funding and logistical support.  Petitions from 0900 to 1130.  Valern has invited all of you to a celebratory lunch to welcome Councilor Steven Hackett to the fold.  It's about time the humans selected a new representative.  Hopefully this one will last more than a few hours." 

Tevos clucked disapprovingly at Andromeda who made a face of mild distaste.  She never had liked humans.  Anderson had been dismissive of asari, Udina outright hostile. 

The assistant shifted in her chair and continued, "It appears the menu is mainly Earth food.  I recommend you avoid Councilor Hackett's favorite dish.  Something called cheesesteak.  I did some extranet research.  It looks positively foul."

Tevos chuckled quietly and sipped her tea, following along on her own copy of her schedule she had snagged from Andromeda's desk earlier.

"It is slated as a working lunch, so Valern will have you there until 1400.  I doubt much work with be done, but you should stay for the full meeting if for nothing else than to establish your presence for the human.  After that you have the elcor ambassador until 1500.  Because he is coming, the volus ambassador took the next hour.  At some point one or the other of them will have to be given a seat."

Tevos didn't look up as she said, "It's simply impractical at this point.  Neither race has a surviving population high enough to warrant the addition."

"I agree.  It should have been done years ago, but..."  Andromeda often let her opinion be known merely by not voicing it.  She tapped a few commands into her datapad, and the words that Tevos had been reading instantly disappeared.  "That will be your last appointment for today."

"But... what about..."

"No, Madame Councilor.  You'll be leaving early today.  Those bags under your eyes and the slump of your shoulders will not embarrass me beyond 1600."

"Andromeda, those appointments..."

"Can all be rescheduled."  She stood and asked, "Nightmares again?"

Tevos nodded, thinking of Aria and of the little purple face in her dream.

"Hmm."  She typed a note into her datapad.  "If they continue I'll have Dr. Michel send some sleeping pills."

Tevos scowled, "Are you keeping track of my sleeping habits, Andromeda?"

"Yes."

The simplicity of the statement negated any opportunity to protest.  She thought of Aria again and ventured, "That... cancelling my appointments trick."

"Hmm?"  She said as she straightened the chair and prepared to leave the office.

"Do you think you could manage that for..."  She scanned her calendar with a smile.  "Friday the 23rd?  There are no petitions that day.  I… thought I might have a long weekend."

Andromeda eyed her suspiciously.  She seemed to come to some conclusion and tapped at her screen, remarking, "If I do this, I expect that you will take the opportunity to rest?"

Tevos blushed faintly and said, "I think I can guarantee to spend the vast majority of my time in bed."

Surprise registered on Andromeda's face at the boldness of Tevos's statement.  It quickly morphed into an approving grin, "Done."

"What would I do without you, Andromeda?"

The assistant turned on her heel and made for the door with the longest strides her short legs could muster, "Die of cheesesteak poisoning, no doubt."  As she opened the door she said, "I'll send the representative from the Serrice Council through in five minutes.  Just put the tray on the side board for me when you are through."

Tevos sat back and sighed, the cup of tea warming her hands.  She made a mental note to message Aria about the 23rd.  The day before her seemed slightly shorter than it had when she had left her apartment this morning. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of my homage to RaeDMagdon and her work 'The Best Entertainment'. Her characterization of Aria and Tevos and mine are very different and our styles are too, but you just can't write these two without owing a little bit of a hat tip to her. So I didn't feel right writing this whole series without showing a little bit of her inspiration. Here goes!

The minute Councilor Tevos walked into her outer office she knew something was very wrong. Despite the row of chairs being empty, the state her assistant, Andromeda, preferred them to be in, the air was thick with impatience. Andromeda was visibly fuming. Her eyes flashed dangerously towards the door as Tevos stepped through it, but they softened a degree when they saw the Councilor.

“Andromeda,” Tevos asked as she walked into the room, her arms loaded down with files. “What’s wrong?”

Her assistant’s tone was brusque as she circled the desk and took the files from her boss, “Your next appointment is late.”

“Thank you.” She said gratefully, shaking the ache from her arms. She had only carried the heavy stack of files down the hallway from Councilor Hackett’s office after their meeting, but it felt like she had been holding them for hours. “It’s not a problem, really. How late is he?”

Andromeda bustled back around her desk, sorting through the files efficiently. She plucked two from the center of the pile and dropped them in the trash can as she passed it. She began to walk with the others towards the Councilor’s inner office, assuming Tevos would follow her, which, of course, she did.

“His appointment was scheduled to start five minutes ago, but I always tell them 15 minutes early so they’re here on time.” She marched straight through the door to Tevos’s private office and began laying the files out on her desk in neat piles of two or three. “I’ve sent him two messages already asking where he is and he has not responded to either. Typical elcor.”

Though she’d never say it out loud and deprive Andromeda of her righteous indignation, Tevos was thrilled. The paperwork she had to get through and messages she had to return were a mountain growing by the minute in front of her. If she had just a few minutes during the day to tackle some of that work she may actually make some headway.

“Oh, it’s alright, Andromeda. I can work on some of these files until he arrives.”

The assistant huffed as she straightened the last folder and stood as straight as her barely five foot frame could, “ _If_ he arrives he will most certainly not be shown in to see you. The audacity! And after I was so kind as to give him an appointment on short notice.”

Tevos settled into her chair and pulled a file towards her, “Hmm?”

“Well, he’s been calling and calling begging for an appointment. He’s been almost frantic trying to get in to see you. So when you had a cancellation I told him he could have 20 minutes. He nearly cried asking me to give him a full hour. He actually said ‘on the verge of tears’. I took pity on him, against my better judgement, and now look how he repays me!”

Tevos was only half listening, focused on a report from Liara T’soni about the economic and morale status of an asari colony in the Silean Nebula, “Why was he so desperate to meet with me? It wasn’t the ambassador?”

“No,” Andromeda replied, marching back to the door. “He wouldn’t say his business, but he hinted it was about helping someone important. Perhaps the ambassador is farming out his begging these days.”

Tevos smiled and shook her head, scribbling a note in the margin of Liara’s report.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes at the overflowing files covering Tevos’s desk and nodded, coming to a decision, “I’ll leave you to work for the next… forty-five minutes. Then I’ll be in to help you make your desk presentable before your next appointment.”

Tevos made a noncommittal noise in her throat, her mind firmly on the report in front of her. It ended with a funding request that required the Council’s approval. She barely heard the door hiss closed. She flipped pages for a good few minutes before she realized the room had gone silent. She looked up to see she was alone and shrugged, uncapping her fountain pen to sign the authorization.

Her pen faltered the end of her looping signature when a voice spoke from behind her, “How fortunate for me to find you alone, Councilor.”

Tevos spun in her chair, a smile bursting onto her face at the familiar voice. The high back of her chair banged to a stop into the side of her desk, but she had turned enough to stand and face the alcove of her private bathroom. Leaning casually against the wall, her arms crossed and the square toe of one heavy leather boot crossed over the other, was the only person in the world she wanted to see. Aria’s beautifully marked face wore a smug smile, her blue eyes dancing mischievously.

“Aria!”

Tevos nearly ran to cross the handful of steps between them. Aria stood straight just as Tevos threw her body against the purple one in front of her. She buried her face in Aria’s neck and breathed deep of her scent. The mixture of leather and musk and the faintest hint of the sweat and dirt of Omega was intoxicating. It made Tevos’s head spin. She fisted a hand in Aria’s white leather coat and held her close for a long moment, smiling as the asari’s strong arms wrapped around her. She never felt so safe and complete as when she was held in those arms.

Tevos could feel tears prick at the corner of her eyes at the unexpected joy of seeing Aria. It had been so long. It felt like years had passed since she could hold Aria, smell her, look into her eyes. After a long moment she pulled back and smiled.

“What are you doing here?”

Aria’s voice carried the husky note that the proximity of Tevos always brought to it, “I snuck in. Not to criticize, love, but the security around this place is for shit. I didn’t even have to kill anyone to get in here.”

Tevos pushed at her shoulder playfully, and Aria responded by pulling her body even closer.

Tevos said, “No, I mean what are you doing in my office? I have appointments.”

Aria gave her a knowing grin, “Yes, but very fortunately, the elcor who reserved this hour did not keep his appointment.” She leaned in and began to kiss Tevos’s neck. She tilted her head, exposing the sensitive flesh and sighing. “How very lucky for me.”

Aria nibbled at the most sensitive spot on Tevos’s neck, earning a groan. Tevos closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the feel of Aria’s lips and teeth on her, “Aria… you said you didn’t kill anyone.”

She chuckled into Tevos’s neck and began to walk her back towards the desk, “I didn’t kill him. He’s a merchant on Omega who’s been trying to get in my good books for a long time. He couldn’t get me my couch back after Petrovsky, so he’s been begging me for a chance to prove himself.” She bit down harder this time and Tevos’s fingers gripped at her shoulder. “He finally has.”

The back of Tevos’s thighs hit the edge of her desk and she sat back with surprise. She hadn’t really been aware of moving, the feel of Aria’s body and lips causing a distracting throb between her legs. She could feel the fabric of her panties growing warm and wet already. Aria’s hand reached down to the hem of her dress and started to pull the fabric up.

“Aria! We can’t!” She cried the words and felt herself blush, but she made no effort to stop the woman.

Aria made no effort to stop either, “Shh… of course we can. We have plenty of time. Your assistant won’t be back for forty-five minutes. Besides,” She said as she scooted Tevos forward enough to pull the bunched fabric over her ass. “If I don’t have you right here, right now, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

Aria dove back in for a hungry kiss. Tevos kissed back just as passionately. She couldn’t deny that she was in almost as bad a state as Aria. It was made worse by the phone sex they’d had a couple of nights ago. Watching Aria masturbate on vid chat had been one of the most monumentally erotic things she had ever experienced, and she had rubbed herself raw watching. They had both orgasmed spectacularly, but it only made the longing worse. They had continued to chat after they were done, but that meant she had to watch Aria’s naked form for another hour after she was done. It had been torturous. Now she would do anything to feel Aria inside her.

As Aria moved forward, Tevos reached down, fumbling for the front of her leather pants, “Aria… please tell me you’re wearing… Oh thank the Goddess!”

Tevos felt the bulge of the dildo through the front of Aria’s pants and stroked it. Aria’s whole body shivered.

“Brielle…”

Tevos wrapped her legs around Aria’s waist and deftly released the button on her pants. She cupped the bulge with one hand, squeezing lightly, as she carefully lowered the zipper with other.

“Mmmm… Aria.”

Pulling the toy out of her pants, Tevos pumped her fist down the length. Both her hand and the shaft were dry, but it seemed to have the appropriate effect. Aria’s hips bucked into her touch, begging for more. As they met for another fierce kiss, Tevos dipped her fingers down the front of her own panties, gathering wetness on the tips before pulling them out again and rubbing the slickness on Aria head. She groaned into Tevos’s mouth as the councilor’s wet fingers swirled over the sensitive tip. She swirled circles on the head, paying special attention to the divot in the very tip that made Aria shudder with each touch.

Aria’s hand slid down to Tevos’s hips, gripping hard at the soft flesh, aching to pull herself into the councilor. She slid one hand across the silky fabric of Tevos’s panties, feeling the flood of wetness through the material. She pressed against the swollen bud of her clit and Tevos gasped, releasing the kiss.

“Brielle… I need you. Please?”

She slipped her thumbs under the strings of the material that crossed the councilor’s hips. Brielle nodded breathlessly and wrapped an arm around Aria’s neck, pulling herself off of the desk so Aria could slip the panties off. She came back down, hearing the crinkle of paper under her and feeling the chill of it on her bare skin. The thought flashed across her mind that she would ruin the file if she stayed here. Aria dropped her soaked red panties onto the blotter on her desk, and she dropped her feet to the ground, standing up in an effort to save the file. The added benefit of this being that, as she moved forward, Aria’s shaft slid through her swollen and dripping outer lips, and the base rubbed hard against her clit. Aria’s eye rolled back in her head at the feeling of being painted with Tevos’s desire. She rocked her hips several times, thrusting not into her lover, but across her.

As good as it felt, it wasn’t what Aria needed. She asked, “Babe, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Goddess… keep doing that. It’s just… that report…”

Aria looked over her shoulder at the crumpled papers and growled in frustration, “You’re kidding. Brielle…”

“Shhh… it’s okay.” Tevos smiled and turned in Aria’s arms. She snaked one hand up Aria’s neck behind her and turned her head, pulling Aria down into another kiss. When she pulled away from it, she continued, “I think we can find a way to make this work.”

Tevos slowly lowered her torso onto her desk, bending over at the waist and giving Aria a delicious view. When she had lowered herself down, she looked back over her shoulder and winked at Aria. The purple skinned asari looked down at the display in front of her. She stood just behind Tevos’s bent form, her full shaft inches from the swollen folds of Tevos’s azure now tantalizingly exposed to her. A flash of need exploded between her legs and she could see her shaft twitch in front of her. The world seemed to narrow in, her eyes darkening around the edges.

Aria put one hand on Tevos’s hip and used the other to guide herself to her entrance. She wanted to press forward with all of her might, burying herself to the hilt into her lover in one selfish thrust. Her mouth went dry at the thought of it, but she bit down hard, forcing herself to move slowly for now. She pressed forward gently against the ring of muscle at her entrance. Tevos groaned at the first hint of a stretch and Aria felt the blazing heat and silky smoothness of her walls wrapping around every inch of her shaft as she thrust forward. The pleasure of it was overwhelming and she bit down this time on the inside of her cheek, willing herself to move slowly. She moved forward another few inches, transferring her other hand to Tevos’s hip, squeezing hard as she slid into heaven.

With a sudden movement, Tevos pushed back against Aria, taking the last few inches and moaning. Aria let her head fall back as she started rocking in and out of her lover. She knew she was going too fast, knew she should wait and let Tevos adjust to the stretch, but she was ravenous. Her grip on Tevos’s hips guided her in and out in and out until she thought she may lose herself in the exquisite sensations. The searing heat of Tevos’s azure wrapped around her, then she pulled out, dragging her head as best she could along the ridge in her front wall. Each time she pressed across the special spot, Tevos groaned and bucked back into her enthusiastically.

Aria focused on the slapping sound of their skin meeting to distract her from the sensations being transmitted from the toy to her throbbing clit. The shorter end of the toy was inside her, slippery with her own juices as she pounded faster and faster into Tevos. She ran one hand over Tevos’s spine, feeling the texture of her skin and the bump of her vertebrae as the pressure inside her built uncomfortably. She was desperate for release, but even more desperate to please her lover. She could tell by the cadence of Tevos moans that she would be there soon, but Aria needed her to get there faster or risk her own sanity.

With one hand still firmly planted on Tevos’s hip, she slid the other around and underneath. Her fingertips found the throbbing ridge of her clit and Tevos gasped as she pressed hard into it. Aria felt her inner walls clench as she serviced both her azure and her clit. She circled the bud, coaxing it out from its hood and lavishing attention on it. It took longer than she had anticipated to feel the mental caress she had been expecting, but when it came, she immediately allowed the meld. Maddening waves of need and pleasure flooded through her the moment Tevos’s consciousness joined with her own. Tevos was on a razor’s edge, but she had been holding back just as Aria had, trying desperately to prolong the ecstasy as long as she could.

Neither of them could hold out another moment. The explosion of pleasure that crashed through the two of them was simultaneous and overwhelming. Aria’s eyes had been closed for some time, the sight of her lover writhing beneath her had become too much and she had dropped her head back, blocking out the intoxicating view. Colors exploded across the backs of her eyelids in every shade and every hue of every color imaginable. She barked a shout of release out loud and across the meld. It mingled with the musical cry from Tevos that was also too powerful to be restricted to their mental connection. As her body released, her arms pushed her up off the desk, and she too dropped her head back and closed her eyes.

Tevos’s inner walls fluttered and bucked around Aria, driving her immediately back into a second build up. She lost her rhythm and almost fell, her knees weakening with the strength of her orgasm. She stumbled and released Tevos’s clit, gripping hard at the wooden edge of the desk to maintain her balance. She quickly began thrusting again, her need for more so powerful it was overtaking her senses. Tevos pressed back into her, encouraging her to continue even as her body trembled with aftershocks.

Aria opened her eyes, trying to get her bearings. She looked directly into the eyes of an astonishingly short asari with royal blue skin and a look of complete shock on her face. She was in the doorway of the office, a tall glass of something yellow in one hand and a datapad in the other. Aria had no idea how long she had been standing there, but she was certainly in no doubt of what she had walked in on. Aria’s body froze just as she had buried herself deep inside Tevos, and she severed the meld instantly.

“Aria, baby, please don’t stop. I…” Her words died in her throat as she opened her eyes to see Andromeda staring at her.

For a heartbeat the three of them just stood frozen in shock. Andromeda recovered first, slamming her gaping mouth shut and turning her back on the scene, “Councilor! I’m so sorry, I…”

“Andromeda! Goddess! I’m so sorry…”

Tevos straightened, forgetting that Aria was still inside her. The movement wrenched the shorter end of the toy painfully out of Aria, who shrieked in protest, backing up and hunched over.

“Aria! I’m sorry!”

“Fuck, Brielle!”

Andromeda laughed, shaking her head, “Well, I suppose I know why you are suddenly taking time off work. When you said you were taking a week’s vacation I thought someone was playing a practical joke on me. You’ve not taken a vacation in thirty years.”

As Andromeda babbled, Tevos slid her dress back down and turned her attention on her wounded lover. She put a hand to Aria face, looking into her eyes for reassurance. Aria’s look was certainly disgruntled, but she unbent far enough to nod as she adjusted the strap-on into a more comfortable position. She tucked the longer end back into her pants and zipped up as she straightened, kissing the hand on her cheek in a forgiving way. Having gotten this sign that all was well from Aria, she slipped around the desk to start damage control with her assistant.

“Andromeda, I owe you an apology…”

Noting the change in the direction of her voice, Andromeda decided it was safe to turn back around. Tevos was surprised to see her smiling in the friendly way that was so rare during office hours. She looked over her boss’s shoulder to assess Aria, “Hmmm…. Aria T’loak. I should have known. All that research you had me do on her all those years ago. She has a reputation, you know, Councilor?”

Tevos folded her hands in front of her, suddenly aware that she had not replaced her underwear. She made a mental note to pick them up off the desk and see if they were serviceable after this was all over, “Yes, I’m aware of Aria’s reputation…”

“It’s well earned, after all.”

Tevos shot Aria a warning look over her shoulder, but the insufferable aura of cockiness was back. Tevos had to admit she had a weakness for that sexy confidence, and she felt a stirring of unfinished business. She turned quickly back to her assistant before her body betrayed her, “I assure you, Andromeda…”

“No need, Councilor. No need.” She smiled and raised one brow ridge suggestively. “I’ve always been fond of the bad boy types myself.”

Aria grinned wolfishly at her, lowering herself into Tevos’s high backed leather chair and kicking her boots up onto the desktop.

Andromeda gave her a disapproving look before turning back to her boss, “I always knew that charade with Sha’ira was a load of varren shit. Anyway, you’re old enough to make your own choices, ma’am. Just don’t ask me to schedule regular appointments for her. I had my fill of that with your predecessor. She had at least three regular affairs going at a time and it became a scheduling nightmare. I promised I wouldn’t do that again, so don’t ask.”

Tevos blushed and shook her head, “Of course not. I would never ask that of you. This was an… anomaly.”

Andromeda gave her a tight smile, saying, “Why don’t we schedule some diplomatic trips to the Terminus to avoid any future… anomalies.” She handed the glass to Tevos, who took it with her left hand. “A mango matcha smoothie. I thought you might like one while you worked.”

“Thank you. How thoughtful.”

Aria’s voice boomed out from the desk, where she had leaned back in the chair, “Nothing for me?”

Andromeda smiled, “Oh yes, a security review. I take it you broke in through the air ducts? I’ll have C-Sec look at that immediately.”

Tevos’s voice was only slightly shaky when she said, “No need, Andromeda. I’ll speak to them myself.”

Andromeda turned to go, “I’m sure you will, Councilor. Your next appointment is due in twenty minutes, ma’am.”

As the door hissed behind her, Tevos’s shoulders slumped and her free hand went to her face, “I cannot believe that just happened.” She turned to Aria, who still lounged smugly in her chair. “Please tell me that didn’t happen. I was killed in a horrible hover car accident and this is some sort of hellish nightmare?”

Aria beckoned her over with a quick twitch of her head. Tevos walked towards her, setting the sweating smoothie glass down on the edge of the desk. As she approached, Aria dropped her feet to the floor and opened her arms. Tevos gratefully slid into her lap, trying not to feel the slight press of her shaft through two layers of fabric. Aria pulled her head down and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. Tevos sighed and slumped against her, bringing up one hand to grip the high collar of Aria’s leather coat. The smell of sex and sweat on her would have driven Tevos to distraction if she hadn’t been so upset over being walked in on again.

“Why does this keep happening to us, Aria? First Shepard and Liara, now my assistant?”

Aria stroked her crest and laughed quietly, “You must be a closet exhibitionist.”

Tevos made a noise of annoyance and tried to stand up, but Aria pulled her back and kissed her softly on the bottom lip. The feel of those lips untied some of the many knots in her stomach and she relaxed back into Aria’s arms.

Aria said, “You may have missed it, but she did say she was going to schedule you some official trips to Omega. This could turn out to be a good thing, you know.”

“My assistant walking in on you bending me over my own desk a good thing?”

“If it means we get to see more of each other? Fuck yes, I call it a good thing.”

She turned Tevos’s shoulder, opening her so their bodies could press together more comfortably. She brought her lips to Tevos’s collarbone, kissing up until she reached the sensitive folds at the back of her neck. Tevos sighed into the touch, her hand moving of its own accord to the swell of Aria’s breast under her vest. Aria flicked her tongue out along the ridge of Tevos’s crest, and the councilor shifted her leg over Aria’s so that she was straddling the leather clad legs below her.

“Is this okay?” Tevos asked as she reached for the zipper of Aria’s pants.

Aria pushed the fabric of her dress up to her waist again and moaned, “Goddess, yes.”

Tevos was gentle as she freed the hardening shaft from the leather pants, “I didn’t hurt you earlier, did I?”

Aria positioned Tevos’s hips above her and breathed, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Tevos lowered herself, her swollen lips wrapping easily around Aria, taking her inside.

Aria’s breathing was unsteady, but she managed to get out, “You feel so good, baby. I can never get enough of you.”

Tevos rocked her hips forward, looking down at her lover with hazy eyes, and moaned, “You’ll have me for the rest of time.”

Aria’s heart felt so full, she almost cried out from the pain of it. She put every feeling, every passion, every heartbeat into her thrusts. She looked down at where their bodies met and bit her lip to keep from sighing. The beauty of Tevos was almost more than she could handle. The slim hips swelling into generous but firm thighs, and in between the subtle shift in color of blue between her abdomen and her azure. The muscles of her thighs flexed as she lifted herself off Aria and then back down, her breathing coming faster.

Tevos hooked her finger under Aria’s chin, pulling her face up. She looked deep into Aria’s eyes, her irises filling with inky blackness. They slipped almost imperceptibly into the meld.

_What were you thinking just then?_

Aria could feel herself slipping in and out of Tevos from both sides now that their minds were connected. The pleasure of it was so acute that she felt a flash in her clit. They were both so close to becoming unraveled. Aria thought of the filmy string of a spider web, pulled taut and holding too much weight, ready to snap at any moment. The visual floated across the meld and she felt Tevos examining it and agreeing.

_Just overwhelmed by how beautiful you are._

She played back over the last few moments in her mind, sharing the emotion of the memory with Tevos. She experienced it as Aria had, with all the awe and love she had felt. The feeling of it was enough weight to snap their tether and they tumbled over the edge together, giving voice to their pleasure only in their mental connection. Outwardly they were blissfully silent, shaking through their release held tight in each other’s arms.

When the last of the aftershocks passed, they stayed locked together, body and soul. They kissed gently and insistently until the intercom on the desk came to life.

“Councilor, your next appointment is here.”

Tevos pulled back from the kiss and responded in a croaky voice, “Thank you, Andromeda. I’ll be right there.”

The line went dead and Aria pulled her back in for another kiss. It was a moment before Tevos withdrew her mind and got to her feet.

She smiled sadly down at Aria, “I don’t suppose you can stay the night?”

Aria frowned, her eyes darkening, “I wish I could, Brielle. You know I do.”

The councilor nodded, she had expected the answer. It was the one she knew was coming. Their schedules rarely allowed for more than this, and they both accepted it grudgingly. Aria stood, zipping her pants and straightening her jacket. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Tevos’s forehead.

“I’ll see when we can schedule a trip to the Terminus. That is okay, right? For me to come to Omega?”

The look of hopefulness from Tevos broke Aria’s heart. Each time they saw each other it was a seesaw of incredible happiness and crushing loneliness. The pain of separation always started before they were actually separated, souring their last few moments together.

“Of course. I want you there. I want you with me.”

Tevos fell into a quick hug that she ended quickly to avoid crying, “I want that too. You better go now, though. Talk to you tonight?”

“It’ll have to be tomorrow night. I’ll still be flying home tonight.”

Tevos nodded and walked toward the door. They never said goodbye. It hurt too badly. She peeked over her shoulder when she got to the door, but Aria was already gone.

It wasn’t until she walked back through the door to her office, the president of the Noveria Development Corporation in tow, that she remembered her panties. She had forgotten all about them in the haste of Aria’s exit. As the door hissed open, she realized that they would be in plain sight of the businessman when he sat across from her. She hurried to her desk, hoping to get there before he could see the ruined pile of red silk.

They weren’t there. Instead, there was a crisp white business card. Printed on the top was the squared oval, the bottom of the oval bisected with a straight line. The symbol of Omega. There was nothing else on the front of the card. Tevos picked it up and turned it over. Handwritten on the back was a single word.

‘Soon’    

 


	4. Chapter 4

The pleasant lull of sleep was slow to recede from Tevos's mind and eyes as she blinked herself awake.  The bed underneath her was luxuriously comfortable, but the feel of the sheets was strange.  She tried to rub the gumminess from her eyes, but a strong arm was draped lazily over her, the weight of it pinning her own arm to the mattress.  The sight of that purple skin and the toned muscles helped her get her bearings, and she smiled lazily at the feel of Aria pressed against her.  She took a moment to appreciate the gentle rhythm of the asari's breathing against her back.

She allowed her now mostly clear eyes to wander idly around the apartment, wondering what had woken her.  The bedroom in Aria's Omega apartment was a large space, but little more than a raised platform on the outer wall.  The king sized bed was placed against one wall and flanked on one side by a short hallway leading to a walk in closet and marble tiled bathroom large enough to stage a political rally.  The other wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows covered with shutters that were almost completely closed.  The small gaps between the shutters let in stripes of red glow from the station's ever present dim lighting.  The floor was polished bamboo covered with a thick rug.  At the foot of the bed was a wide, padded bench and then a swath of open floor leading to a room length, short staircase.  At the bottom of the three steps was a set of opaque screens that could be closed for privacy but were currently thrown wide to reveal the living room.

Standing across the entryway to the living room were three large, armed forms.  A krogan stood in the center of the trio.  He was so tall, his head was scraping the top of the archway.  He wore armor that looked orange in the red glow from the windows.  His skin had a sickly greenish brown hue.  A scar ran from the top of his head, down through one clouded eye before swerving drunkenly to the center of his face through his snout of a nose and splitting his beaky lips into four even pieces instead of two.  It ended in a chin that was squared off oddly, as though the tip had been sliced off.  As she looked at him, he grinned, grotesquely pulling the split in the center of his lips apart, making his mouth into a wicked star shape. 

To the krogan's left was a vorcha so pale in the darkness that she suspected his skin was brightest white, though it looked pink in this lighting.  He wore patches of thick leather in odd spots on his chest, looking as though they had been sewn to his skin rather than to each other.  He barred his row of needle-like teeth, saliva glistening on them.  On the krogan's other side was another vorcha, this one's skin dark as night.  He was wearing a dirty loin cloth held up by a heavy gun belt and nothing else.  The trio was tiptoeing into the room.  At least as much as a krogan and a pair of vorcha can tiptoe.  The dark skinned vorcha looked at Tevos.  He saw that her eyes were open and he let out a menacing hiss.

The sound chilled her to the bone and she gasped in fear.  Instantly, the arm that had been heavy with sleep across her was gone in a flash of blue light.   

The brightness of the light burned Tevos's eyes as it streaked across the room.  The dark skinned vorcha had just put his foot on the top stair when the flash of light smashed into him with a grunt and a roar of fury.  His body collapsed in on itself and flew into the wall.  He crumpled to the floor in a tangle of limbs and blood while Aria materialized in the spot he had occupied.  The force of her biotic charge left her dazed, one hand going to her unprotected shoulder, gripping the bruised muscle that had crashed into her foe.

She recovered quickly from her daze, her arm flashing out to throw a barrier around the bed.  Tevos sat up, leaning against the headboard and clutching at the sheet as though the protection of her modesty was important at the moment.  She stared in shock through the thick purple haze of the barrier, her stomach in her throat.  The moment it took Aria to throw up the barrier was enough time for the krogan to close the gap between them.  He took advantage of her distraction to grab the shotgun from his back and, in the same motion, lash out violently with the weapon.  He pistol whipped Aria with the wide barrel of the shotgun and her head snapped to one side, purple specks of blood from her face spattering across the impenetrable barrier she had created.

The krogan was stronger than Aria, but also slower.  When he lashed out again, she ducked under his arm, dropping to her knees and rolling past him toward the pale vorcha who was just now drawing his pistol.  Her naked body glimmered through the stripes of light, waves of muscle bunching and flexing beneath the purple skin.  She moved effortlessly, her fluidity and economy of movement reminded Tevos of the ballet.  Despite the desperation of the situation, she couldn't help but admire the way Aria moved.  Her confidence despite her nudity and vulnerability. 

She came out of the roll with one hand on the vorcha's wrist.  There was a sound like a thick limb snapping from a tree in a storm.  The vorcha's scream was high pitched and piercing, the pistol dropping from his hand.  Aria caught it before it hit the ground and was on her feet.  She still held the vorcha's hand, and she spun around him.  She wrapped an arm around his neck with a touch so gentle that for one wild, insane moment it looked as though they were dancing.  A simple waltz, her hands lighting upon her partner as they dipped and moved around each other.  An instant later she closed on her partner, twisting his arm painfully behind him and using the arm around his neck to pull his body back against hers.  Just moments before that form had been pressed against Tevos in intimacy, now it was pressed against the would-be assassin.  He shrieked as his broken wrist twisted, but his cry was soon drown out by the blast of the krogan's shotgun.

He has recovered his balance and turned to fire just as Aria pulled her living shield in front of her.  The vorcha's body bucked and convulsed as blast after blast tore his flesh apart.  Aria ducked her head behind him and fought to keep his body in front of her.  Tevos could see stray pellets pierce the perfection of her muscular forearm.  She watched Aria grit her teeth and push herself and the vorcha forward against the force of the weapon.  By the time the krogan ran out of ammunition, the body of the vorcha was in tatters.  Its skin was still pink, but this time it was not a trick of the light.  Blood seeped through the fibers of the rug in a grisly streak.

Aria dropped the corpse unceremoniously as the krogan fought to eject the spent thermal clip.  She stood tall, legs shoulder-width apart, and raised the stolen pistol.  The krogan's right hand exploded and the shotgun fell from his grip.  His left leg shot backward at an impossible angle as his knee disintegrated.  A final shot caused a fountain of blood to explode out of the back of his right shoulder.  He fell forward with a grunt and Aria was on him in an instant.  She stood straddling his legs and gripped the back of his armor, yanking him up hard to his knees.  He roared in pain as his destroyed left knee bent, grinding unprotected bone against bone.

"Shut up!"  Aria screamed, rage filling her eyes.

One of his legs was unable to support him and one shoulder was ruined, so his body sagged forward against the collar of his armor.  He gripped at it with his one serviceable hand, gasping for breath, and his cries stilled.  The muscles of Aria's back and arms were hard as granite with the effort of holding the massive form up with one hand.  The other hand pressed the pistol to his head.

She spoke through clenched teeth, "Who sent you?"

He struggled to breathe but didn't say a word, his torn lips snarling.  Aria moved the barrel of the pistol to the top of his right shoulder and fired once, straight down into his already tortured body.

"Don't make me repeat myself again, krogan.  Who sent you?"

His speech was a more like the hiss of a snake because of his useless lips, the pitch high like a vorcha's rather than the normal krogan baritone, "No one sent me.  I came to end you.  These serve me."

"That was an unwise decision.  If it's true.  Why would you come yourself instead of sending goons?"

He growled low in his throat, "Krogan do not send others to win their wars.  I want to rule Omega, so I must kill you myself."

Aria wrenched at his armor causing him to make a small sound of pain, "You will never rule Omega.  Hundreds have tried to kill me.  I've filled the garbage scows with their corpses."

"Rumor has it," He said with a bravado his position certainly did not warrant.  "That the Queen of Omega has been neutered."

Aria growled like an angry lion when they krogan looked at Tevos and winked suggestively, "I'll enjoy finding out if this one can neuter me, too.  I'll find..."

His words ended abruptly as Aria put the barrel of the pistol to the back of his skull and fired.  She shot again and again, blasting through the thick layers of skin and bone until there was nothing left and her thermal clip was spent.  She dropped his body and it landed with a wet crash on the rug.  She reached for his belt and grabbed another thermal clip, ejecting the old and slamming the new one home.  She raised it again and fired two more shots into the back of his head before she finally stopped, blue smoke curling seductively from the barrel of her pistol.

She held her pose for a long time, then she spun on her heel and walked to the living room without a word.  She disappeared around the corner and out of Tevos's sight.  At some point during the interrogation, the barrier around the bed had fallen, and Tevos was plunged back into red and black shadows.  The utter silence of the room hit her suddenly.  She could hear her ragged breathing echoing around the empty space.  She heard the sheets rustling like dry leaves in a breeze and realized she was shaking.  She couldn't hear Aria moving in the apartment and the icy hand of panic wrapped around her heart.

A long fingered hand slid up the end of the mattress.  Inch long claws gripped into the bed sheets, leaving a dark smear on the white fabric.  Tevos caught her breath and looked to the entryway.  Aria wasn't there.  She was all alone.  The hand flexed and she heard the wet sucking of a labored breath.  The mattress dipped and a head came into view.  At least it used to be a head.  The dark skinned vorcha tried to blink his left eye, but the skin was shredded and his orbital bone fell away in small chips.  The flanges of the tentacles that formed his pointed crest drooped and stuck out at odd angles behind him.  His left cheek was shorn away, revealing the gleaming white needles of his top row of teeth beneath them.  His bottom jaw swayed drunkenly beneath him, barely holding on by a few bands of tendon. 

His good eye searched for a target and settled on her.  He pulled again at the sheets, dragging his body up another few inches.  She gasped and scuttled up the bed, slamming into the headboard and pressing against it.

"Bray, get a team to my place right now."  Aria's voice erupted onto the scene like the song of an angel.  But it wasn't coming from the room.  It was in the living room and drawing closer.  "I've had some uninvited guests this evening."

"Aria!"  She screamed, looking away from the battered face in front of her.

Aria appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her omnitool strapped to her arm, the pistol held loosely at her side.  She walked slowly up the stairs and stepped over the krogan.  She passed around the vorcha and fired twice into his head, her gun aiming away from the bed and her body partially blocking the sight from Tevos's eyes.

"Send as many as you can get.  The Priority is here, and I don't want any more surprises, understand?"

She put the pistol on the nightstand as she sat on the bed and pulled Tevos to her.  The councilor all but leapt into her arms, pressing her face into Aria's shoulders and wrapping her arms tight around her neck.  Aria's arms held her close, and she lay a soothing kiss on the top of Tevos's crest.

Her voice was quieter as she finished the call, "Grizz is dead.  The rest of the guards outside my door too.  We'll get security footage to confirm, but it looks like a surprise hit.  Quick and dirty.  Get here now."

When she clicked off the call, Aria pushed Tevos back so that she could look into her eyes, "Brielle?  Are you okay?"

She couldn't honestly answer yes or no, so she settled on pulling Aria into a kiss.

 

 

*******  

 

The apartment block where Aria lived was as exclusive as they come.  The location was shared by only a handful of other apartments and was in a heavily defensible area.  The location was less about prestige than it was about safety.  The upshot being that Tevos's ostensible quarters were in a different area of Omega altogether.  The large block of rooms was actually only occupied by Andromeda during these visits to the Terminus.  Aria was personally piloting the skycar that was taking them to that location now.  She was driving fast, much too fast, and checking her mirrors and sensors with a manic rapidity. 

Tevos had thrown on the dress she had worn previous day.  They had enjoyed a very public dinner for the few members of the press that had braved the insecurity of travel to the Terminus.  Then they enjoyed a very clandestine escape back to Aria's apartment.  Andromeda had been true to her word and set up a string of these trips to the Terminus, sometimes with other councilors in tow, sometimes alone.  They could not be any more often than every month or so, but the knowledge that they had a definite date to see each other again always made the parting easier.  It had now been almost a year since they began their long distance relationship, and the wear and tear of separation was starting to show.  The fabled patience of the asari with their thousand year life expectancy certainly applied to the formation of colonies, but romantic relationships were another thing altogether.  Not even an asari could live indefinitely away from the one they loved.

Tevos's hand slipped onto Aria's thigh and squeezed hard.  The fear she felt was far less for herself and far more for Aria.  Strain lines appeared between her brows, marring the delicacy of her half-moon markings there.  Aria covered Tevos's hand with her own, but did not take her eyes from the path ahead.  She slipped between two close buildings, the hum of the engines echoing in the tight space.  Tevos watched her and remembered the movements of her body as she killed.  She knew who Aria was, knew what she did, both in her role as spy for Thessia and as leader of a vast criminal organization.  Not all of her activities were ones that Tevos necessarily condoned, but the life she led was not one Tevos was in a place to judge. 

The skycar slowed and pulled onto the landing platform.  As they got out of the car, Tevos shivered and Aria immediately pulled off her jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders and leading her inside.  She grabbed the lapels and pulled it close around her, breathing in the familiar scent and relaxing a fraction.  Bray was waiting for them at the door to the building.  Aria barely acknowledged him as they passed at a quick walk. 

He fell into step beside them and said, "Contacts are reporting a krogan began recruiting followers a few weeks ago.  Said he wanted to restore Omega to krogan control."

Aria spoke quietly, a sure sign of rising temper, "And why am I just hearing about this now?"

Bray hit the button on the elevator, holding the door open for them as they all boarded, "He couldn't get anyone to follow him on Omega.  Chatted up the slums for days and not even a single vorcha would sign up."

Aria arm was still wrapped around Tevos's shoulders, holding her close.  She couldn't help but smile a little at the news, "And yet Grizz is dead and there is a pile of corpses at the foot of my bed."

Bray scratched at the collar of his armor and said, "Looks like they were imported from elsewhere in the Terminus.  Maybe even the Far Rim.  We're working on it, boss."

The elevator doors hissed smoothly open and Aria pulled Tevos out first, heading down a familiar corridor to a door flanked by turian guards holding plasma shotguns.  They saluted to her as she approached, but Aria remained cool and aloof.  The door hissed open as they came near it.  Andromeda stood just inside, a silk robe that would have barely covered Aria's knees skimmed the floor at her feet.  One of the scarves that would normally have been tied around her throat was hanging loosely around her neck, the tails blowing as she walked.  The multitude of rings she normally wore were in place, however, and something about the idea that she had all of them on in the middle of the night almost made Tevos laugh out loud. 

Tevos was passed from Aria's arms into the outstretched arms of her assistant, who clucked at her like a doting aunt.  She felt like a package, like they thought she was fragile and had to be carried around lest she crumble.  She made a mental note to speak to the two of them about it, but she was too tired to contemplate it now.  She felt as though all of her muscles had been battered by the night’s events.  She could feel her eyelids drooping as Andromeda steered her towards the enormous couch in the center of the living room.  Aria and Bray stayed in the entryway, heads close together, firing questions and answers back and forth.

"Councilor," Andromeda's voice was as soft as her hands on Tevos's own.  "Are you alright?  Can I get you anything?"

"Please call me Gabrielle?  For Goddess sake, Andromeda, we've worked together long enough, and I consider you a friend."

Andromeda smiled and nodded, then touched a hand to Tevos's temple, "You look tired.  Would you like to go to bed?"

Tevos was looking over her shoulder at Aria and Bray, trying to hear what they were saying.  She did not respond to her assistant, and the asari seemed to let it drop.  She pulled Aria's jacket closer around herself and kicked off her flats, pulling her feet up onto the couch.  She heard broken pieces of sentences from the pair at the door.

"...likely to continue the plan..."

"...would want to get some credits out of..."

"When is the..."

"Tomorrow... latest... maybe tonight..."

Aria looked over and watched her for a moment, her mouth set in a straight line.  The depth in those blue eyes captured Tevos and she could feel their connection as though it were a tangible thing.  As if they were melded at that moment, even across a room, even without the required contact.  The strength of her love for this woman transcended anything she had ever known.  Seeing her and not being held by her was causing her physical pain, and she was sure Aria felt the same.  The line of strain between her brows deepened as they looked at each other.

Aria broke the eye contact and Tevos nearly whimpered at the loss.  She had turned to Bray, saying some quick words before the two of them came towards her.  She stood, and Andromeda was only a beat behind.  Aria held out her arms and she folded herself inside them, and the connection completed again.

When Aria spoke, the sound was muffled, her lips pressed lightly against Tevos's crest, "Bray has contacted your ship.  The shuttle will be here to pick you up at 0800. Try to get some sleep before..."

Tevos pulled back sharply and shouted, "No!  No, I won't leave."

"Love..."

She pounded a small fist against Aria's chest.  The light blow did not even cause her to step back, "Stop it.  I won't leave you here alone in danger!"

"I'm not in danger.  They're just a pack of leaderless vorcha.  I'll have them wiped up in a few hours."

"They broke into your apartment, Aria.  They killed Grizz!  He's been with you since..."

Aria's hands were on her cheeks, but her eyes were hard, "I can handle this, Brielle.  But I need you to go."

Tevos was hurt, the words stung in some way that did not quite make sense to her, "You don't… want me here?"

Andromeda's hand touched her shoulder, "Dear, you'll be a distraction.  She needs you to be safe."

Tevos wanted to scream.  She wanted to stomp her foot and rage.  She wanted to throw everyone's hands off of her and shout.  Tell them all that the only safe place in the galaxy was in Aria's arms.  Then she saw the blackening bruise on Aria's temple where the krogan had hit her with the shotgun.  She had defended Tevos instead of herself and she had paid the price for it.  A trail of dried blood on her cheek was the price this time.  If she, Tevos, stayed, what would the cost be to Aria?  The rage melted off of her and she nodded. 

"Thank you."

Tevos wasn't sure if the words were directed at her or at Andromeda, because she had buried her face in Aria's neck.  She breathed deeply and then, in a moment of temporary insanity, bit down on the sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met.  She felt half pride, half embarrassment as Aria's body shuddered beneath her.  Before she lost the strength to act, she pulled away from Aria and took a step back, holding her hands together in front of her to keep herself from reaching out.

She moved her eyes to Bray and said, in the authoritative tone more like herself, "Try not to let her do anything stupid.  If she gets hurt showing off I will take it out on you, understood?"

Bray actually grinned.  A wide, toothy grin that made all four of his eyes squint in his round cheeks.  He blushed a little and looked to Andromeda, "We haven't had the pleasure, but I know who you are, of course.  I'm Bray, Aria's whipping boy."

Andromeda actually smiled a little herself and held out her hand, palm down, "Andromeda.  Tevos's overworked servant."

Bray took the little blue hand with all the rings and bent to kiss it.  When he straightened, he said, "I trust that you'll keep the Councilor out of trouble?  I won't threaten to take it out on you, of course, but..."

He let the sentence drop with a suggestive wink.  Tevos thought she must be hallucinating, because she swore the sound that came from her straight-laced assistant was a girlish giggle.  She looked at Aria, who had raised her brow in surprise, but sobered quickly.

"Alright, Romeo.  Let's move."

With one more lingering look, Aria turned and walked across the room and out the door.  Most of Tevos's courage went with her, and she slumped back onto the couch.  She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tight to her.  The leather of Aria's jacket suddenly stopped warming her, but made her feel cold and empty.  She wrapped it tighter around herself as Andromeda sat down on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her.  They sat for a long moment like that, lost in their own thoughts.

"Bray is a very nice man," Tevos finally said, not looking at Andromeda.  "Aria gives him a hard time, but he is kind and brave."

"Pssh.  I don't have time for some silly batarian," Andromeda responded, her eyes still on the door.  "My mother would flay me alive if I brought him home.  And can you imagine how Sparatus would tease me?  No, I'll keep my own company, thank you very much."

"No worse than he'll be to me when he finds out about Aria.  And you've kept your own company for long enough.  You should find someone to be good to you."

Andromeda rubbed her back, "She'll be fine, Gabrielle."

Tevos could feel tears forming.  The image of the vorcha being torn to pieces by the blasts of the shotgun were playing over and over in her mind like a glitching vid.  If she had been a beat slower and those shots had ripped through purple flesh instead of white...

"Would you like a cup of tea?  I have something to help you sleep if you'd like."

Tevos shook her head and willed the tears back.  When she was sure that she had conquered them, she spoke, "I think I'll just sit here until the shuttle comes.  You go to bed."

Andromeda didn't even dignify the suggestion with a response.  She sat back and stretched her short legs out in front of her, waggling her toes, "I think I'll get a pedicure when we get back to the Citadel.  We'll be more than a day early, so I'll have some free time.  Would you like to join me?  There's a lovely little place near the lake run by a hanar.  She gives you a glass of champagne while she works."

Tevos sat back, forcing a smile, "Sure.  That would be nice.  Maybe the two of us racing back from the Terminus to get pedicures will help her business."

"I'm sure it will."

They sat for a moment, pretending to be relaxed and comfortable.  Tevos rolled her head on the back of the couch, turning to Andromeda, "Do you use biotics?"

The asari was half asleep, her eyes heavy, "Hmmm?"

"Biotics.  Do you use them?"

"Nothing fancy," she replied lazily.  "Nothing like that girlfriend of yours.  Mostly just self-defense."

"So you can make a barrier?"

She nodded, "Mm-hmm.  Not a very good one, mind you.  But enough to keep me alive." 

After a silent moment Andromeda turned her head, "Why do you ask?"

Tevos picked at the zipper of Aria's jacket, "I'm... an abstainer."

"Yes, I know."

"Do you think... Do you think you might teach me how to make a barrier?  Just in case... Just so I'm not... a burden.  If this happens again."

Andromeda's forehead wrinkled and she looked thoughtful, "I've never taught anyone who'd never used them before.  I'm not sure I'm the best one to ask.  Perhaps a tutor?"

"No!  No... I just... I'd rather you try first.  Please?"

Andromeda smiled again and patted her knee in that motherly way she had, "Of course," Her eyes slipped closed.  "We'll start after the pedicures."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Aria strolled through the marble paths of the Presidium with an air of invincibility. At some point over the last hundred years of putting on this elaborate act, the act had become a reality. Every time she walked through the crowds of the weak of mind and body who inhabited this station, she was reminded forcibly of her own self-worth. She was reminded that these people would come and go, especially the shorter lived species, without making the slightest impact on the course of galactic events. The mere fact of her presence here made an impact on galactic events.

The thought made her smile. The smile was predatory. A human woman who wore one of the popular, skin tight, long dark blue dresses without much prestige shuddered when she saw Aria’s teeth. She took a step sideways and Aria moved to intercept her. She stopped directly in the woman’s path, standing tall and radiating superiority. The woman came up short and bumped into the marble wall beside her. She stuttered and reached a hand out to the wall, steadying herself as she came to a bumbling halt. Aria leaned forward, her hand moving towards the woman’s on the smooth surface of the wall. The woman looked into her eyes with what was undoubtedly fear, but a fair amount of lust as well. Aria leaned closer in, raising her hand off the surface of the stone as it moved forward. The woman’s breath caught. Aria’s fingers wrapped gently around the stem of a nondescript orange flower growing in the planter on top of the marble wall, and snapped it off with a flash of movement.

The woman gasped and put a hand to her throat. Aria winked and then moved around the woman to continue walking, twirling the flower between her long fingers. She turned to descend into the entryway of the Consort’s chambers and heard the scurrying of the woman’s footsteps behind her.

Sha’ira had reclaimed the same chambers she had occupied in the peaceful days before The Battle of the Citadel. It had now been rebuilt twice, but each time it was in the image of the original space. Aria could have moved around between the furniture and doors wearing a blindfold. She knew each centimeter of the room as well as she knew her own body. The space was calming and wide open, the only place on the Citadel where she felt as comfortable as she did on Omega.

Evening had come to the station, and Aria entered the waiting room that was empty save two of the Consort’s assistants. She had expected only one. Penelope was an asari with skin so steely blue it was almost gray. She was older than most of the attendants in Sha’ira’s care at 375 years. She had not entered the matron stage of life yet, but only because she had not found a bondmate who could keep up with her dry wit. She was efficient and lovely, and, in another life, Aria might try to cure her loneliness. She was straightening pillows on a couch at the far end of the waiting room, not having heard Aria enter.

The other occupant was a human female that looked like she had just arrived on the station. She had that starry-eyed look peculiar to humans who were new to such an amazing location. Aria guessed she had lived in a city on Earth and thought it large and impressive. Then she came here, thinking that she would fit in perfectly, only to find that the population of just one arm of the Citadel was greater than that enormous city she called home. She had long hair, golden as the sun, spilling down her back. It swayed and fluttered around her as she turned to Aria.

“Welcome to the Consort’s Chambers. Do you have an appointment with Sha’ira?”

The sweetness of the voice was so endearing that Aria thought, for a moment only, that she should leave the sweet little girl alone. Instead she leaned against the desk that the girl was seated behind and gave her a predatory smile.

“I do, but she can wait.” Aria held out the flower she had plucked, spinning it so the light caught the varied shades of orange. “What’s your name?”

The human blushed, “Monica.”

“What a lovely name. I picked this for you, Monica.” Aria extended the flower a little more and looked at Monica through her long lashes.

Penelope’s voice rang out across the room, “Take the flower, dear. It’s all she’ll ever give you.”

Aria shifted her gaze to the approaching asari as Monica took the flower from her fingers with a nod, “Penelope, my dearest, how are you today?”

Penelope rolled her eyes as Aria took her hand and kissed it, still leaning against the desk towards Monica, “I am well, Aria.” Then, speaking to the human she said, “Moni, call Sha’ira and let her know that her… appointment is here.”

Aria smiled wickedly at the pause. Penelope had never been shy in her disapproval of the relationship between Sha’ira and the Queen of Omega. She, like everyone else, bought the lie that she and Sha’ira were lovers, if not actually bonded. She kept hold of the blue hand as the human called Sha’ira. She felt the slightest pang of guilt when Penelope blushed lavender at the touch.

_Thank you, Monica. Please send her in. And if you would tell Aria to come straight back to my private chambers. I’m just finishing changing for dinner._

Aria’s grin became toothier when, hearing the request, Penelope pulled her hand back sharply and moved around the desk to where Monica sat.

_Moni, Penny, the two of you may as well leave for the evening. I won’t require anything else. Thank you both._

Aria moved off towards the entrance to the Consort’s chambers to the sound of irritated huffing from Penelope.

 

 

*****

 

As she expected, Aria found the outer, public chambers empty when the door hissed open. She moved towards the door hidden discreetly behind a carved wooden screen in the far corner of the room. Even the most intimate of clients Sha’ira met never went into those rooms. They were her sanctuary. Aria had only gone in there a handful of times over the previous hundred years. She had a hop in her step, not wanting to dally now that she was without an audience.

The door to the private rooms hissed open and she stepped inside. The room was dominated by a massive, low bed with plush coverings in stark white. Gauzy curtains hung as a canopy around both sides near the massive headboard. Off to her left were a serious of screens, these with waxy paper secured in stout frames. Light shon behind them, throwing the tall silhouette against them. She was seated at her vanity.

Aria looked off to the other side of the room, rocking on the balls of her feet and waiting for Sha’ira to step out into the room. She said with the slightest hint of impatience, “I hope you don’t mind if we do this quick, Sha’ira? I’m hoping to get over to Tevos’s office before she goes home for the night.”

The silhouette moved towards the end of the screens, but Aria was too intent on the images in her mind to notice.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Aria.”

It wasn’t Sha’ira’s form that moved out to the center of the room from behind the screens. The blue face that emerged was covered in bright white markings. The green eyes danced with mischief. Councilor Tevos was wearing a nightgown of silk the color of fresh cream. It had a low neck and thin straps over her shoulders. The fabric seemed to flow like water around her as she walked, the skirt pooling on the floor around her and her bare toes peeking out as she walked. When she reached the center of the room, she turned, and Aria saw that the back of the nightgown was cut so low that her skin was bare down until the swell of her ass began.

“You see, Aria, Councilor Tevos was forced to leave the office early this evening. She cancelled her last two appointments. She went home with… a headache.”

Aria’s jaw felt as though it had no support. Her mouth went very dry as she looked over the length of the body before her, “That is unfortunate to hear. I would go to check on her, but, you see, I have an appointment with the Consort this evening.”

Tevos smiled, glad that Aria was so willing to play along, “I’m afraid you are bound to be disappointed this evening. One of Sha’ira’s admirers was able to procure tickets to the opera this evening and lured the Consort away. In fact, you just missed her.”

Aria took a few casual steps into the room, “I suppose I should wait for her then.”

“That would be futile. She expects to be out all evening.” She felt Aria move towards her and took several steps herself in the direction of the bed. “She even packed an overnight bag.”

Aria followed several steps behind, “Well, then I am not sure what my next step should be. I was summoned here to file a report for the Matriarchs. I’m afraid I am bound to the service of the asari government for the night.”

Tevos reached the end of the bed and turned. She folded her hands in front of her, subtly pressing her breasts together with her upper arms, “As the ranking member of the asari government on the Citadel.” Aria finally reached her side, putting a hand on the smooth fabric of her hip as she finished, “I suppose that means you are bound to service me for the night.”

Aria sucked in a breath as her other hand slid up Tevos’s side, the merging of silk and skin playing over her palms, “I suppose it does.”

Tevos’s hand slid to Aria‘s cheek and pulled her in for a deep kiss that was far more tongue than lips. Aria’s fingers gripped tighter, pulling their bodies tight together as they panted into each other’s mouths.

Breaking the kiss, Aria looked down at the thin fabric and said, “Had I known what I’d find in the Consort’s chambers…” Aria pressed her pelvis suggestively into Tevos’s and continued, “I’d have packed something of my own.”

Tevos slid a finger over Aria’s bottom lip, “Not tonight, love. Tonight I want just you.”

She replaced her finger with her lips and kissed greedily, fisting her hands into the collar of Aria’s white leather jacket. Aria’s hand slipped in between their bodies, running along the impossibly soft fabric over Tevos’s stomach. She slid the hand up slowly, luxuriating in the shiver of the skin through the thin fabric. When she reached Tevos’s breast, she cupped lightly, flicking her thumb over the hard nipple. The quick movement made Tevos gasp into her mouth, and she smiled, her lips pulling away slightly in the upward movement. She squeezed harder, kneading the flesh under her palm. Tevos’s body pressed closer in response. When she caught the firm bud between thumb and finger for a gentle pinch, Tevos pulled away.

Aria growled in displeasure as the silk draped form moved away from her, “Brielle? What the…”

“You are serving me tonight, Agent T’loak.” She turned and sat demurely on the edge of the huge mattress, her arms sliding along the thick comforter at her sides. “You will do what I say. If you take issue with the arrangement, you are free to fly back to your little station in the Terminus right now.”

Aria’s eyes flashed for the briefest of moments, getting lost in the game. Upon further review, however, the idea of shifting control had a certain appeal.   She stood up straighter and crossed her arms, trying to act with a disinterest that she certainly did not feel, “Well, I’ve already come all of this way…”

Tevos’s lips curled up at the corners and she said, “Hmm… then come a bit further.”

Aria started to step forward when Tevos held up her hand, “On your knees.”

Aria growled again, squaring her shoulders. A flash of indecision crossed Tevos’s eyes, wondering if she was carrying the scene too far. Aria decided that, if she was going to play along, she may as well make the councilor squirm a little. She reached for the bottom corners of her jacket and shrugged the material off of her shoulders. Peeling it off of herself with exaggerated slowness. It dropped to the floor with a loud smack, and Aria reached for the hem of her tight shirt, pulling it over her head and letting it dangle for a moment off of her wrist before discarding it too.

Surprise was quickly replaced by joy on Tevos’s face as she watched the strip tease. She hadn’t requested it, but she certainly wasn’t going to stop the show. Aria unbuckled her belt with her eyes fixed on Tevos, enjoying the sight of her quickened breathing and the tip of her tongue sliding along her bottom lip. She kicked her boots off before rocking her hips to help slide the tight leather pants down. When she bent, she made sure to angle her pelvis as much as possible, so that the swell of her naked ass was visible as she slid the legs of her pants over her toes and off.

Once she was naked, she dropped quickly to her knees. Instead of starting to crawl immediately, she called on some of the tricks she learned in her dancer days, sliding her knees apart on the polished marble floor and then back together several times, bracing her weight on an outstretched hand. Tevos’s jaw dropped open slightly as Aria’s free hand slid up her thigh suggestively. Then Aria stopped her movements, smiling pleasantly and dropping onto her hands. She crawled forward on hands and knees to where Tevos sat on the bed.

Just before Aria arrived in front of her, Tevos remembered herself. She cursed inwardly at how quickly she had allowed Aria to retake control, and determined not to let it happen again. She had spent a great deal of time planning this night. She wouldn’t let Aria’s seductiveness change her plans. As Aria approached, she slid the silky fabric of the nightgown to her knees. She stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles and pointing her toes. When Aria came level with her feet, she raised one and planted it on Aria’s shoulder, stopping her but also keeping her bent over.

“You are rather presumptuous, aren’t you, Agent T’loak?” Aria turned her face to the delicate foot perched on her shoulder, pressing her lips to the fleshy instep as Tevos continued, “Assuming so much. I’m not even sure you’re worthy to kiss my feet.”

Aria grinned, enjoying the game and her role in it. She pressed her lips to the top of the blue foot, murmuring into the skin, “Allow me to prove myself to you then, Councilor.”

The tickle of the warm lips as they trailed kisses over the top and sides of her ankle sent shivers up her leg. Tevos had not anticipated enjoying this part quite as much as she was, but it had been months since she had felt Aria’s lips against her skin. There was probably nothing she could do that would not send waves of anticipation through the councilor’s neglected body.

She tried to sound haughty despite her soft whimpers as she replied, “Well… if you insist. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to allow you to try…”

Aria moved forward enough for the foot on her shoulder to slide back and hook over her neck. She began trailing wet kisses up the inside of Tevos’s calf, flicking out her tongue on occasion to taste the salt of her skin. Despite the agony of the wait, she forced herself to keep her palms pressed to the ground. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and caress every inch of her lover, but she was determined to play out this scene.

“I’ll do my best, Madame Councilor.” Her tongue painted a wet stripe up to the underside of Tevos’s knee, earning a jump and a gasp. “For Thessia.”

Tevos closed her eyes and moaned her reply as Aria’s teeth nipped at her inner thigh, just above her knee, “For Thessia.”

Aria stopped and moved back to her starting position, dipped her head to kiss the toes of her other foot. She could feel Tevos’s need radiating from her skin as she kissed up her calf, markedly faster this time. Her own core was throbbing with each inch closer she got to her lover.

“Ah, ah, Aria! Don’t be so hasty or I may change my mind and send you away after all.”

Aria blinked hard and clenched her teeth to keep from reacting to the tone and the threat. She knew it was bluster, knew that there wasn’t the slightest chance that the two of them wouldn’t be fucking all night long. Surrendering herself to the moment, however, had given weight to the threat. She forced herself to take her time, to ignore the wetness she could feel gathering between her exposed thighs.

This time, when she reached Tevos’s knee, the councilor slid the silk fabric up a few inches. Aria did not need any more encouragement than that. Making sure to move slowly and be attentive to the soft thigh, she kissed higher and higher. She scraped her teeth across the sensitive flesh and was rewarded with another hike in the fabric. She swirled her tongue out and the fabric finally moved up to the prominent hip bones.

Tevos wasn’t wearing any underwear. The glistening, darkened folds of her azure were tantalizingly close. Aria keep her eyes glued on her anticipated prize as she continued the slow climb of kisses. She knew there would be some test, something she would have to do to be given permission to take what she so desperately wanted, and she was determined to anticipate. If she could find the right way to ask before she was forced to submit, she may just be able to wrestle control away. She bought time by nipping lightly again, hearing the moan from above her as the legs parted a fraction of an inch more.

She decided that straightforward begging would be the best course of action. She sat back and looked up into her lover’s eyes with a look as close to supplication as she could muster. She even added a hint of a whine to her voice when she said, “Please… Madame Councilor. Let me prove myself to you? Let me worship you?”

Tevos sucked in her bottom lip and bit hard. She had anticipated Aria refusing to beg for permission to continue. Had planned several very clever exchanges. She even thought there was a chance she may have to break character for a moment to get what she wanted. To have the Queen of Omega, on her knees, begging to eat her out without even having to be asked was almost too much to handle. She couldn’t even think of a response. Couldn’t manage to nod her head.

To her relief, Aria didn’t wait. When it was clear Tevos’s was lost for words, Aria grinned and dipped her head. All Tevos could do was spread her legs wide and pray that she could last a few minutes. Long enough to not embarrass herself. The first touch of Aria’s tongue on her aching core was almost enough. She groaned and fell back on the bed, limp with the pleasure of it. She squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. Aria’s tongue danced along the swollen bud of her clit, making her whole body rock forward. Strong arms wrapped around both thighs, holding her in place as that tongue stroked her relentlessly. She didn’t bother to start slow and build a rhythm, sensing how close Tevos was, she pressed hard and fast. The pressure inside of Tevos built so quickly that her head spun.

“Stop!” Tevos barely managed to shout before it was too late.

Aria complied, but the aggrieved noise she made expressed her displeasure, “What’re you…”

Tevos pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking down at those fiery eyes, “I say… when it’s time… Agent T’loak. Now stand up.”

The eyes flashed again, and Tevos felt the sense of triumph she had planned on. She was teasing herself, of course, but delaying her release was only drawing out the pleasure. Aria stood on shaky feet, and Tevos was pleased to see the evidence of her own desire between the purple thighs. She crossed her arms again, pressing her ample breasts together distractingly.

Tevos pushed herself back on the bed until they were farther apart and she had a better view of Aria’s body. The sculpted, lean muscles were pronounced in the shadows of the half-light. Her firm stomach and wine purple skin so enticing that Tevos had to grip the sheets to keep from reaching out.

“I think I want a little show. Put those hands to use.”

Aria dropped her hands in surprise. While they had several times engaged in some very fun vid chat masturbation sessions, the idea of putting on a live show was completely new. Usually, their need was so great that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other when they were together. Days in bed often could not satiate their desire for each other’s skin. Aria was not self-conscious in the least, but she was far more interested in using her hands differently.

“Councilor…”

“I do not recall,” She said, the arrogance back now that she had calmed some from having Aria’s mouth on her. “Asking you to speak. I recall asking you to touch yourself. Was I unclear?”

Aria replied through clenched teeth, “No, ma’am.”

“Then why don’t you start with those incredible tits?”

Aria grinned, letting herself fall into character again. She slid both hands up the plane of her stomach, flaring out her fingers and letting them drag over the dry flesh. She moved slowly, imaging as she always did when she touched herself, that it was Brielle’s hands on her rather than her own.  

Something about the sound of Tevos voice sent a ripple through Aria.  There was a waver in the sound as though she was having a hard time remaining calm.  Aria decided this game was going to be a lot of fun.  
  
She slid her hands slowly over the bunched muscles of her abdomen, moving them up until she cupped her own breasts.  She watched Tevos squirm as she rolled both of her nipples between thumb and forefinger.  She groaned and rolled her eyes up, only slightly exaggerating the pleasant sensation, and was delighted to her an answering but much softer groan from the bed.  She pinched both nipples hard and bit her bottom lip.  It wasn't nearly as pleasant as when Tevos was touching her, but Aria had a vivid imagination and could enjoy the touch nonetheless.  She squeezed her breasts the way Tevos liked to do, spreading her fingers wide and trapping the tight bud between long digits.  
  
"That's lovely.  I bet you're pretty worked up..."  
  
"You know I am.  I'm so wet.  I need relief so bad."  
  
There was a rustle of fabric, and Aria peeked through one eyelid.  Tevos had pulled the top of her nightgown off her shoulders, her hands were mimicking Aria's actions.  
  
"I think you've earned a touch.  Just one hand though, and don't go inside until I give you permission or there will be punishment."  
  
Aria opened her eyes and gave Tevos a smoldering look, "I wouldn't dream of it, ma'am."  
  
One hand tracked back down her stomach as Tevos watched with naked desire.  As her fingertips reached the swell of her mound, her hips canted forward of their own accord, pressing into the light touch.  She sighed as her middle finger trailed over the swollen ridge of her clit.  She was tempted to stay there and work herself until she screamed.  It had been so long since she had so much as laid eyes on her love, much less been in bed with her.  The need for release was like the sting of a bug between her shoulder blades, ever present and just out of reach.  It would feel so good to take the edge off especially with the taste of her lover still on her tongue, but that would ruin this scene that Brielle went to such pains to set up.  Despite the torment now, she knew the reward of this would be all the sweeter for the wait.  
  
She allowed herself a few firm swipes before sliding her hand lower.  She teased her own opening, tilting her hips so that the other woman could see that she was following the rules.  She sneaked another look at Tevos and saw that she had shimmied the dress off of herself and lay naked and sensually displayed on the vast mattress.  Aria stroked her folds, collecting the wetness that pooled there and demonstrating how swollen she was.  She pulled her fingers back up to her clit, dragging shimmering fluids with her and coating her throbbing bud.  Now when she rubbed herself the slickness kept her from applying enough pressure to build to climax.  
  
It did, however, feel amazing to finally get some stimulation.  She moaned and rubbed circles of pleasure into her own body.  Despite her precautions, her need was rising and she needed to focus on something else.  Unfortunately, when she looked at Brielle splayed over the sheets it was to find her writhing in pleasure, two fingers buried deep inside herself and pumping vigorously.  
  
Aria's reaction was instinctual and impossible to stop.  She dove forward with a growl, removing Tevos's hand between her legs gently but quickly.  She replaced them with her tongue, and the taste of Tevos on her tongue again was so intoxicating that her mind had surged outward before she could stop it.  Tevos gladly welcomed both the thrust of Aria's tongue and consciousness, wrapping their minds together and burying her fingers in Aria's crest.  
  
_No more teasing, Brielle.  This is mine._  
  
_Goddess, yes it is!_  
  
As Aria thrust inside her lover, the immense swell of need from both of them threatened to overwhelm her.  It felt as though she were falling through a bottomless chasm of frustration and desire and loneliness, her senses drowning in the emotion so strong in made her dizzy.  She gripped at Tevos thigh to steady herself, and had to pull back from her pleasant task to catch her breath.  Tevos felt it too and tried to reel in her emotions, but they were amplified by Aria's and would not be quelled.  Aria shook her head and fought for control even as her body screamed to bring and be given pleasure.  
  
_Brielle...  
_  
_Come here, love._

Aria crawled up the bed until she was looking into Tevos's ink black eyes.  She could see tears there before Brielle pulled her close.  Need throbbed like a shared pulse across the meld as they tried to sort through each other’s emotions.  Aria slipped a hand in between their bodies and went quickly back to work, pressing the heel of her hand against Tevos's clit and burying two fingers deep inside.  There was a sigh of relief from below her and she started a steady rhythm.  Brielle was so close, her release crackled like electricity just below the surface.  After just a few thrusts, Aria felt a hand slip between her own legs, and she spread them as wide as she could.  When Tevos plunged inside her and matched her rhythm, she knew their shared torment was nearing an end.  They rocked into each other’s hands, crying out silently together across the meld.  
  
They climaxed together with an explosion of colors smearing across the meld and the inside of their eyelids.  Waves of sweet relief flooded through and out of both of them, leaving them breathless and spent.  Even as their bodies stormed with the pleasure of it all, the tempest had begun to still in their shared mind.  The bursts of colors which had been vibrant at first were fading to pastel and then out of existence altogether.  Aria's body fell limp against Tevos's, her face buried in the pillow.  Tevos watched as her back heaved with each shuddering breath and smiled contentedly.  She raised her free hand to trace the defined muscles of shoulder and back beneath the purple skin.  Aria grunted and shifted, trying to avoid the tickling touch, and Tevos wrapped her arm around her lover's back instead, pulling her close.  
  
Aria backed slowly out of their joined minds, caressing and reassuring as she retreated to her own.  Neither made any effort to remove their hands, both enjoying the feeling of being inside the other.  Aria sighed deeply and moved her head so that her full lips were pressed against Tevos's ear.  
  
She spoke softly, "Sorry to ruin your scene, dear.  I couldn't help myself."  
  
Tevos chuckled and stroked Aria's crest affectionately, "If you hadn't, I would have.  In fact, I didn't really have a plan for where it would go next.  I knew one of us would crack right around that point."  
  
Aria chuckled and the vibrations of her throat skittered across Tevos's skin, causing a pleasant flush, "I don't know whether I should be flattered or offended."  
  
"How about both?  When you're flattered you get very cocky, and I love it when you're cocky.  But when you're offended you tend to the aggressive, which is even more fun."  
  
"Speaking of aggressive," Aria said, nuzzling in to Tevos's neck and yawning.  " Kinky little slut."  
  
"Watch your tongue, Agent T'loak, the night's not over yet..."

 


	6. Chapter 6

Aria reclined on her couch in Afterlife, the bass of the music thrumming in her blood, relaxing her and soothing her muscles.  Tension had settled into her shoulders and neck in the last several months, causing radiating headaches.  She could feel one coming on now, but hoped the steady beat of the music would ward it off.  Bray had determined that she needed a human cure he called a ‘hot stone massage’.  He had made an appointment for her with some flighty human masseuse he used to get horizontal with occasionally.  Bray had cleared an hour for her to meet with the woman tomorrow, but Aria was skeptical.  She knew quite well the cause of her tension, and no amount of stones, hot or otherwise, would relax her.

It had been nearly a month since she'd been able to see Tevos.  They had snuck off for an all too short weekend in a borrowed apartment on Illium.  The memory still made Aria's teeth ache.  She could close her eyes and see Tevos, standing at the kitchen counter pouring wine.  She could hear the tinkle of her laughter like bells caught in a summer breeze.  Those two days had been glorious, the parting as torturous as ever.  Speaking to her on holo almost every night barely satisfied the omnipresent loneliness that seemed to define Aria's life. 

The sound of Bray's approach pulled her from the pleasant memories and markedly less pleasant brooding.  He looked at the screen of his omnitool and rested the heel of his free hand on the butt of his pistol.  There was a concentrated, skeptical look in all four of his eyes. 

She waited for him to speak, but her patience was thin these days.  He had barely stopped moving when she snapped, "Yes, Bray?  What do you want?"

He had stopped reacting to her sniping within a few months of the start of her long distance relationship with Tevos.  He didn't look up, still scanning a message while he responded, "A message from a new arrival to the area.  Doesn't give his name, but says he's sending a gift.  He is interested in 'exploring the market' of Omega and asks for your permission to make a few deals."

Aria felt a warm surge of power and pride.  It had been a long time since a new player had offered her a gift to curry favor.  Ever since the attempt on her life six months ago and the snide comment about being neutered, she had felt a certain resentment towards the lower level players on Omega.  She thought several times about a leadership purge.  A cleansing to remind the survivors who was in charge here.  Perhaps something more subtle was in order.  Perhaps she could insinuate this new factor into the mix.  Let them fall all over themselves to please her before ripping their heads off one by one.

Still, there was a warning nipping at the back of her brain.  A sense of disquiet over so bold an approach.  She decided to be on her guard, "Perhaps.  Tell him I will accept his gift when it suits me.  Put him off a few days, Bray."

Bray typed and turned his back, allowing the matter to rest.  He moved back to his perch and, after a moment or two, shouted an insult at a passing miner who was so drunk he could barely stand.  Thoughts whirled in Aria's mind.  Some of them about the newcomer, most of them about Brielle.  She had just begun a thorough examination of her mental image of the asari councilor when Bray turned back to her.

"What is it, Bray?  I'm not in the mood to entertain you today.  Go find a dancer to flirt with if you're bored and leave me alone."

Again, he ignored the insults and shared the contents of a message he was reading on his omnitool, "This new one is pushy.  He says..."

"Just send it to me, I'll read it myself!"  She growled as she pulled up her omnitool link to her private messages.  Within seconds the flash of an unread message appeared.  She opened it and read:

 

_I understand the time of the Queen of Omega is precious, and I do not wish to disturb her.  However, I feel it would be an insult to occupy her domain without sending my immediate regards.  I have taken the liberty of sending two of my most trusted men with my offering.  They will not press upon Madame T'loak's time, only drop off the gift and leave.  When she has time to meet with me I will, of course, bring another gift._

_For now, please accept the finest example of the merchandise I wish to sell on Omega as a token of my esteem._

_With respect,_

_Captain Tobias Anthony Janulis_

 

The warning she had felt earlier doubled.  While the message was perfectly polite, toadying even, there was something about the situation that concerned her.  Bray looked over her shoulder at the floor of Afterlife.  She caught his eye and he gestured to the door.  With her normal disinterest, she turned and looked with one eye over her shoulder.  A human with skin as dark as empty space and arms as thick as tree trunks was walking across the room towards her.  He held one end of a large packing crate.  The other end was grasped in the talons of a hulking turian with blood red markings covering his face, armor riddled with scratches, and a formed titanium patch covering the area of his face that should have contained his left eye.  The crate was massive and the identifying markings were Alliance.

Aria nodded almost imperceptivity to Bray, who moved to block the top of the staircase leading to Aria's platform.  It took several long moments for the pair to navigate to the spot.  Bray put up a hand and the two froze.  He powered up his omnitool and scanned first the crate and then the two carrying it.

"Clean, boss."

Aria nodded and Bray moved to the side only enough to let the pair pass by him.  He made a motion to two turian guards at the bottom of the stairs, and they waved another pair over.  The smugglers were none the wiser, but they were now surrounded.  Aria sat, her legs crossed, her face blank.  She let her eyes crawl over the pair for an uncomfortably long time before shifting off to the air behind them.  The turian visibly shuddered.  The human grinned, showing two broken teeth. 

Aria adopted the sickly sweet tone of voice she used on the very stupid to lull them into a false sense of security, "Welcome to Omega.  What has your captain got for me, then?"

The human dropped to one knee and spoke to the ground, "A gift for the Queen of Omega from Captain Janulis of the pirate ship _Esteban_."

Aria chuckled at the ridiculous display, but knew that the several Blue Suns seated above the bar on her left were watching.  She waved her hand lazily and the two began to unlatch the box.  There were a half dozen or so clips on the sides of the crate, and they removed the panels with ease.  The last to be removed was the panel facing Aria.  The two resumed their positions flanking the big box, and stood at what they seemed to think was a form of military attention.  

Inside the crate was a cage.  Inside the cage was a human.  It was a woman.  A girl, really.  She could not have been more than 16 or 17.  She was sitting on the floor of the cage, hugging her knees to her.  Her clothes were the standard colony gear, a pair of brown overalls covering a small shirt and disconnected sleeves from her wrists to just below her armpits.  The clothes were dirtier than any Aria had ever seen, torn in places and work thin.  Her skin was covered in a thick layer of grime, some spots black and tarry others reddish brown and flaking with a very few areas where the pink skin showed through.  The only truly clean area of her was in two jagged lines below her swollen, red rimmed eyes where tears had washed away the filth.  She shook as she raised her wild eyes to look into Aria's face. 

Aria stood, holding the girl's gaze and walked forward.  As she moved, her arm went to the waistband of her leather pants at the small of her back, removing her pistol.  She raised the gun and fired two shots into the human's forehead, then turned and fired three into the turian's gaping mouth.  She replaced the gun and knelt in front of the cage.  She was crouched before the human before the bodies hit the floor.

Her voice was even as she spoke.  The girl had flinched at the shots, but not as much as a girl her age should have when two lives ended. "Bray, get this cage open.  What's your name?"

The human did not speak, but her eyes screamed with fear.  Aria pitched her voice low and spoke with a forced calm, "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded, then thought better of it.  Her face crumpled and tears fell from her eyes as she shook her head.

Aria made a cooing sound used by asari mothers to calm their infants.  The sound gave her a sharp pang of longing for Liselle, but she pushed it aside.  Whether from confusion at the alien nature of the sound or from restored calm, the human's tears stopped.  She saw Bray hurrying back up the stairs with a pair of bolt cutters and two women wearing Talon's colors.

Aria turned her attention back to the human and asked, "Did they... hurt you?"

The tone she used clearly conveyed what it was she was really asking.  The girl looked right into her eyes and shook her head slowly.  There was truth there, so Aria nodded, "Then they will die much faster than I had anticipated.  They attacked your colony?  Did they take everyone?"

The girl nodded and looked over her shoulder to where Bray was snapping through the wire of the cage.  She scuttled toward Aria, away from the batarian.  She gripped hard at the cage and whimpered.  Aria put her hand over the girl's and said, "You are safe.  He can be trusted.  Go with the women.  They will feed you and get you new clothes."

There was a desperate longing in the girl's look.  Aria smiled and nodded, "You are safe."

She stood as Bray peeled back the wall of the cage.  Bray nodded to her and exchanged the bolt cutters for his gun.

 

 

*******

 

In the end, storming the ship was pathetically anticlimactic.  Aria now stood in the hold, watching as her people removed dozens of crates full of Alliance supplies and bemoaning the caliber of criminals left to the galaxy.  Apparently the Reapers had taken the cream of the crop and she was left to sweep up the worthless.  The crew had barely put up a fight, perhaps thinking that they would be shown leniency.  Unfortunately for them, Aria despised slavers.  Not a single one survived.  The captain had actually dropped to his knees and begged, crying for mercy.  She would need to clean his blood from inside the barrel of her pistol later.  Who knew the spray from a head shot at such close quarters would be so powerful?

Before he died, the captain had admitted to targeting those human colonies that had been hit hardest by the Reapers.  They were still terrifyingly vulnerable and underpopulated, only one having token protection from Alliance military.  She shook her head in disgust.  Trafficking in his own people, and ones who were already so profoundly traumatized.  Her people had found them, hundreds of them crammed into one large storage room with a few buckets for waste and no food or water.  Smuggling was one thing.  After all, she had every intention of profiting from the crates of supplies and weapons that were flooding past her at this moment.  Profiting from the oppression of others, well, that was what she had put a stop to here on Omega.  She would not accept it anywhere else, either.

"That's the last of them, ma'am."  A Blue Sun wiped his sweating brow with the back of his hand as he addressed her.  "You want we should start getting the ship retrofitted?  It's a piece of junk alright, but we could make somethin' outta ‘er if you want."

Aria looked around her.  The stink of that storage room full of tortured humans was still stuck in her nose.  She wondered if it would ever go away.  She heard a distant scratching noise and looked around.  Probably full of rats.  Maybe some of those massive beetles that seem to stow aboard all the filthier ships.  The scratch came again, louder.

"No."  She said, her lip twisting.  "It's a pile of junk.  Not worth the credits or supplies to keep her afloat.  Especially since we'll have to use half these supplies to keep the humans alive until their people come to collect them.  I won't lose money on this venture.  Clear the ship, then we'll take her out near the star and scuttle her."

He nodded and marched from the room.  She turned, the tickle in the back of her mind returning, though she had no idea why.  The bad guy was dead, so why did something still feel wrong?  She wandered to a far corner of the room where a scrap of fabric clung to a marred piece of metal flooring.  It was a nondescript brown, roughly woven but otherwise unremarkable.  She tossed it aside and looked around, squatting with her elbows on her knees.  The room was littered with little piles of trash.  She stood and walked to one, kicking it with the squared toe of her boot.  She expected a rat to scuttle out and explain the scratching.  Instead, a book slid across the rusted floor. 

She looked at it in surprise.  A book, an honest to goodness book.  They were by no means rare, but they weren't as common in space as one might think.  On a planet they were a form of entertainment enjoyed by many.  On a space ship, where weight and space were a luxury, they were not often seen.  She walked to it and picked it up, reading the title.  The Complete Works of Tennyson.  Something about the title stirred in her memory, but it fluttered away from her like a flake of ash from a campfire.  That was the image that came into her head, though fires too were rare in her world.  She opened the front cover as the scratching sound came again, this time sounding closer.

She read the inscription aloud to the empty room, "Get your ass out of that bed on the double, marine.  Shepard"

The vision of ashes blowing on the wind came back to her, but she still couldn't figure out why.  Shepard had come to see her in Purgatory during the war a lot at first.  She bullied her brain into remembering why.  Something about Mars.  One of her people hurt. 

Aria dropped the book with a thunk and spun around.  She moved to the wall, sliding her hands over the panels, tapping here and there.  She moved along, feeling and tapping.  Feeling and tapping.  One panel sounded hollow.  She slid her fingers along the edges until they slipped over a bulge.  She pressed and the panel clicked open, swinging until hitting her palm.  She pulled the hidden door, but the leading edge was warped slightly and caught on the floor.  She yanked at it and it came free.  The room beyond was small, just a smuggler's nook from the more reputable days when the whole ship wasn't used for smuggling.  Lights flickered on when the panel opened. 

Bodies were strewn on the floor, but these still breathed.  The breathing was ragged, however, sucking through dirty cloths tied around faces and shoved between teeth.  All of the figures had hands and feet bound behind them, and they all wore the uniform of the Alliance.  They looked at her warily as she searched their faces for the one she would recognize.  

Ashley Williams lay to one side, the gag had come away from her mouth and the hair that had fallen across her face stirred with each infrequent breath.  She had not called for help because she was clearly unconscious, a trail of dried blood coming from the bruised temple over her left eye.  A couple of the bound soldiers around her had shuffled their bodies around her in a touching but worthless attempt to protect her.  They glared at Aria as she eyed the prone body of the second human Spectre.

 

******

 

Ashley's eyes fluttered open slowly, and they were blurred and gummy with sleep.  Confusion reigned supreme for her, and it was certainly not dispelled by the sight of the purple skinned asari sitting at her bedside wearing a smug look.  Her long legs were crossed, her hands crossed over a book in her lap.  Ashley blinked several times, looking at her, expecting at any moment for the vision to fade.  The thin, dark purple marking over one eye lifted a fraction, and the lips curved slowly up, revealing one bright, white incisor. 

Ashley blinked again, her head pounding and swollen.  She tried to form words, but they were slow to come.  She swallowed hard and was finally able to croak, "You're Aria T'loak."

The smile widened, and the asari spoke in a lazy drawl, "Hmmm... mind's intact.  The doctor will be so pleased to hear it.  He mentioned that you have suffered quite a few concussions.  Apparently that's a bad thing."

A flash of Dr. Eva's face came so quickly and vividly to Ashley's mind that it made the room spin.  She gripped hard at the sheets of her bed and took a couple of slow, deliberate breaths, "Concussions?"

The asari slowly uncrossed her legs, crossing them again with the opposite on top, "Yes.  You've had quite a knock to the head.  One of your men, a Sargent someone or other, said one of the slavers hit you with the butt of his rifle when you docked.  Apparently you were putting up too much of a struggle."

"Slavers."  As Ashley's mouth formed the word she remembered.  Landing on a dusty, farming colony that reminded her vividly of Horizon, only cooler.  The attack had already started, and her unit was green.  She saw a group of rough looking human pirates with the occasional alien mixed in rounding up the colonists.  Dragging them by their hair and hitting them and shooting one or two to keep the others in line.  They all grinned and laughed.  They were enjoying themselves.  At least the Reapers just killed, they hadn't reveled in the destruction.  These people were an altogether different form of monster.  Her unit was overwhelmed almost immediately.  They took down a handful of the enemy, but they had no chance to organize because they had no warning.

Aria allowed her a moment to think and remember before saying, "They're dead now, you'll be happy to know.  Every one of them.  I may accept a great many things on Omega, but I cannot abide slavery.” After a pause and another twitch of the marking at her brow she added, “I'm not a big fan of kidnapping, either."

Ashley noted the darkness that slid behind Aria's eyes as she mentioned kidnapping, but she was too tired and sore to ask.  A salarian in a white doctor's uniform walked in at that moment and shuffled right up to her, poking and examining without a word.  He checked some of machines that were monitoring her, babbling to himself.  Ashley watched him move with a detached sense of relief.  He bent and pulled her eyelid apart, looking into her eye, shining a blindingly bright light into it, then flashing it away when she yelped.

"Sensitivity to light.  Rapid pupil dilation.  Positive signs.  No permanent damage suspected.  You should avoid blows to the head.  Human skulls poor design to protect brain tissue."

He touched the cartilaginous protrusions from his own head subconsciously as he bustled to the other side of her bed, checking her other eye and making a note on the terminal there. 

Aria chuckled lightly, "You must forgive Dr. Maelon.  Salarians make wonderful doctors, but their bedside manner leaves something to be desired.  Worse for him because he was trained by Mordin Solus.  Did you meet Mordin?  No, he died before you rejoined the Normandy.  He was a hell of a doctor.  Not a bad shot either."

Maelon nodded and bustled out with the same cold efficiency of movement that he used when he entered.  Ashley straightened the sheets and the gown she was wearing.  Before he left, the doctor had typed a few commands and now the IV machine whirred and began dispensing a liquid with a slightly green hue.  Her body felt infinitely less sore with the fall of each trembling drop of medicine.

She sighed as relief washed over her and asked, in a much stronger voice, "My men?"

Aria leaned back into her chair and replied, "All safe and accounted for.  You got the worst of it by far.  If you want to live much longer I would suggest surrounding yourself with more capable soldiers.  That lot are pathetic."

Ashley scowled, wanting to defend her team, but she knew Aria was right and the green medicine was weakening her desire to argue.  She opted for more questions instead, "I'm on Omega?"

Aria nodded.

"And you rescued me and my unit?"

"And all of the colonists, yes."

"Why?"

Aria looked steadily at her for a moment and Ashley felt the need to explain, "You're a criminal.  THE criminal."  Aria smiled with obvious pleasure as she continued, "So why not kill us and sell the slaves and enjoy your credits?"

Aria stood, holding the book to her hip so that Ashley noticed it again, "I'm not a slaver, Ms. Williams."

"Commander Williams."

"I'm not a slaver, _Commander_ Williams."  She moved towards the head of the bed with an exaggerated swing of her hips.  "And I don't kill helpless soldiers who've been bound and gagged.  It's not sporting."

She leaned down, her face inches from Ashley's.  Despite herself, Ashley felt her breath catch as she smelled leather and some musky scent peculiar to asari.  It made her mind swim again in an altogether different manner than it had before. 

When she spoke it was in an intimate tone appropriate for the distance between them, "Even with your questionable taste in friends, I like you Ashley Williams."

A weight settled onto Ashley chest and pressed ever so slightly.  For a moment she thought it was Aria's hand, and her stomach churned pleasantly.  But Aria winked and stood suddenly, turning on her heel and walking away with the same seductive sway to her hips.  The weight was still on Ashley's chest, and she shifted her chin to see what was there.  It was the book.  She picked it up and opened the front cover, reading the inscription from Shepard on the title page.  She rolled her eyes and laughed in relief.  She had assumed that the book was gone forever, and the loss of her good luck charm had saddened her.

Aria stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, "The Alliance is sending a ship to pick up you and your men.  I think you can guess which one.  Dr. T'soni says her bondmate was beside herself with worry when the report of your disappearance got back to her.  I have… business to attend to on the Citadel, so I won't be here to welcome her when she arrives.  Send her my best regards, would you?" 

 


	7. Chapter 7

The sky above Councilor Gabrielle Tevos sparkled as though crammed full to bursting with stars. The twinkling lights, however, were the proof of life not in other solar systems, but on the opposing arms of the Citadel. She watched a particular blip from far away move through her line of vision towards a far off destination. The sky car was heading in the general direction of the Presidium, and she watched it for a long moment.

She was seated at a small, white linen covered table on the patio of a lovely little out of the way restaurant on the Silver Sun Strip. A tall taper candle had burned down almost to nothing housed within a hurricane lamp in the center of the table. Her plates had come and gone and the silverware had been placed and removed with a wonderful efficiency. Now she sat alone with a nearly pristine napkin and a half full glass of wine. The tables around her had filled and emptied and filled again while she nursed the bottle of wine and her solitary meal. She was reluctant to go home tonight for some reason that eluded her.

Perhaps it was the fact that she sat at a table not three blocks from an apartment filled with her friends Admiral Shepard, Liara T’soni and their infant daughter. Perhaps it was the yawning emptiness of her own apartment. Perhaps it was the knowledge that, in a matter of days, Aria would be there waiting for her. The nearness of the end of her loneliness outlined its current presence in sharp relief. Tonight more than any night in a long time, she could feel the distance between the Citadel and Omega as though every mile were a thorn in her side. She sipped her wine and could almost feel the bone-deep chill of the sheets on her empty bed. She let her eyes drift back to the sky car making its slow path across the night sky.

“Beautiful isn’t it? The way you can watch them all fly by at night.” A tall, thickly muscled asari with skin the color of the sea at Nevos stood behind the empty chair beside her. “I always see those cars trace their way through the heavens and wonder to myself ‘who could that be?’ A celebrity? A politician? A chef? A dock worker? Where are they headed? Are they alone? Do they want to be?”

Tevos gave a faint smile, the silky tenor of the voice flowing through her with ease. The asari didn’t wait to be invited to sit, she wound her way gracefully into the chair and rested her chin in her palm. A nearly full wine bottle was in the other hand, and she reached over and began to in fill Tevos’s mostly empty glass. The councilor tried to stop her, but the stranger brushed aside her protests with a smile and a wink.

She raised her own glass for a toast, “To the ‘what if’s’ in life.”

There was a charm about her that was captivating. Her eyes were a golden yellow that was usually reserved for cats. Tevos raised her glass despite herself and allowed it to clink lightly against the other. She drank, realizing that, not too many years ago, she would already being readying herself to go home with this woman.

“You look very familiar to me, have we met somewhere before.”

Tevos smiled, shaking her head both in answer to the question and in response to the foolishness of the situation.

The asari seemed to catch herself, and she blushed, saying, “That sounded like a line, didn’t it? I’m sorry. I assure you, I wasn’t making a pass.” She looked quietly into the councilor’s eyes for a moment before saying, “When I do make a pass, it won’t be with a line that cheesy.”

The promise in her eyes and words made Tevos’s heart beat a little faster, but still she responded, “I appreciate the drink and the honesty, but I’m afraid you are wasting your time with me.”

“An asari as breathtakingly beautiful as yourself could never be a waste of my time. I’ve been watching you, sitting here by yourself, looking lonely. I determined to put a smile on your face…”

Tevos found herself smiling, and the asari continued, “And you see, I’ve accomplished my goal. If all that I get from you tonight is that one smile, I will have received a gift beyond measure.”

“You are too kind, but I assure you, the smile is all you will get from me.”

The stranger smiled, her golden eyes flashing, “Ah… it’s love is it?”

Tevos smiled, picturing Aria’s face, “It is indeed, I’m afraid.”

“Well, then, that is a lucky soul who has won you.” She gripped the bottle and made as if to stand, but her forehead crinkled and she said, “And yet… I cannot help but wonder whether that person is worthy of you? If they could be so foolish as to have won such a beautiful asari and leave her to feel so lonely on a lovely night like this.”

This won a small laugh from the councilor, “You don’t give up, do you?”

“I love a challenge.”

“You sound like my girlfriend.”

“If that’s what you want, I’d be happy to oblige.”

Tevos nearly choked on her wine, “Excuse me?”

The stranger spun her glass on the table, a few small drops of wine slipped over the lip and slid the length of the long stem, staining the white tablecloth. Her voice was like honey, “Love is a fluid thing. The love we make need not be reserved for the one whom we love. If I were to take you to bed and give you pleasure while you thought of your girlfriend. If you were to call out her name while my mouth was on you. Who is to say that you have been unfaithful? We are asari, we make love with our minds as much as with our bodies. If your mind is with another, who cares where your body is?”

As she spoke, the long form leaned forward. The gold of her eyes was almost hypnotic. Even as she spoke, Tevos could almost see her skin shift in the darkness. It was hard to tell, here in the shadows, if it was her imagination that made the stranger’s skin appear royal purple. In the stillness, her voice took on the rich, teasing, smoky notes of Aria’s. There was a moment when Gabrielle thought about closing her eyes, shutting off her mind, and allowing her body to fall into this stranger. She could almost smell the mix of leather, musk, and sweat.

The stranger’s lips were inches from hers when Tevos spoke, her voice clear and calm, “You are good at this, aren’t you?”

The honey eyes didn’t waver, “The best.”

Tevos brought her hand up to the asari’s shoulder. She pushed gently back, giving her room to stand up, “Second best, actually. Good evening.”

She walked away into the brightly lit street, heading for the rapid transit kiosk.

 

 

*******

 

Despite the humorous diversion at the restaurant, Gabrielle was hesitant to head home. The apartment would be cold, empty, and dark. Worse yet, it was Friday night and she had no plans for the next day. Had it been a workday tomorrow, she would at least know that she should get to bed in order to be up early. Now she had the night spanning infinitely in front of her with no hope of relief. Still, a full bag of reports hung heavy on her shoulder. Perhaps she could overcome the alcohol and unfulfillable desire fighting for control of her blood and get some work done tonight. Then she could wake up tomorrow and distract herself with… more work.

She nodded to her guard at his usual spot in the lobby of her building and headed to the elevator. Instead of allowing her to pass, he rushed over.

“Councilor, I’ve been picking up some odd movements in your apartment this evening. I think I should come up and take a look.”

“Oh, no need…”

“Jarvis.”

“Jarvis, of course, forgive me.” She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I have a… houseguest this weekend. My assistant’s cat, Rufus. He generally sleeps all day and bounces off the walls all evening. I’m surprised that you weren’t informed.”

“I was, ma’am, but it seems… too active. The motion sensors that we installed generally…”

“Yes, well, he only came over this morning. My assistant, Andromeda, left to spend the weekend with her… friend Bray. I agreed to watch him since I have a gala to attend tomorrow evening and can’t leave the station. Rufus doesn’t much like it when she leaves. She thinks he’s jealous… Anyway, the point is, you don’t have to worry.”

He stood a little straighter, his pose overly aggressive, “Be that as it may, it is my duty to…”

“Protect me. And you have done a fine job. I’ll be cautious, and if he looks as though he will attack, I’ll come get you to deal with him. Goodnight, Jarvis.”

She hated to be dismissive, but she had almost forgot about her houseguest. He was no doubt so active because he had not been fed. At the moment, all she could think about was feeding him to make him calm so that she could slip into her silk nightgown and try to wait until after a few hours of work before calling Aria. She could hear his mandibles clicking as the elevator arrived to take her upstairs.

As she had anticipated, the apartment was cold and dark when she walked in. The glow through the curtains at the windows allowed only enough light for her to walk in and kick off her heels. She dropped the bag at her feet before moving towards the lamp on the entry table.

“Rufus? Where are you, darling? Come here sweetheart!”

The light clicked on to reveal a dark form leaning against the wall in the dark hallway leading to the kitchen. Tevos gasped, the figure remained perfectly still. She reached for the light switch on the wall, nearly tripping over the bag she had left at her feet. She palmed the large switch and the figure was flooded with light.

Dark purple skin. Skin tight red leather pants. A creamy white shirt pulled tight across the chest and showing a wide inch of midriff. White leather jacket with popped collar lined in red. Self-confident smirk. Brooding half-moon markings linking two smoldering blue eyes.

“Rufus better be that fuzzball who’s been running around like he’s on red sand or you may have some explaining to do.”

All Gabrielle could manage was a whimper before she practically sprinted into Aria’s arms. Aria caught her as she arrived and spun, pressing her body against the wall and crashing into her. Their lips met with a mutual groan. Tevos grabbed Aria by the collar and pulled her closer. As close as she could possibly get. Close enough to smell her. Touch her. Pull her body so tight that there was nothing between them. Not the lonely days or the empty miles of space. Aria pushed closer and closer still until the breath was gone from both of their lungs and they had to separate only enough so that oxygen could make its way in.

“Goddess… Aria…”

“Brielle… my Brielle…”

Tevos pulled her back into another bruising kiss. She pressed her hands deep into Aria’s crest, holding her lips as close as she could get. The feel of Aria’s tongue on hers made the world unpeel around them. Her lips made the walls close in. Brielle’s heart was beating so fast that her head spun. Aria’s hands moved to her hips and gripped hard. She could feel her fingertips through the clinging fabric of her dress. She pulled Tevos’s hips hard against hers and the councilor felt a tell-tale bulge inside the stretched leather. She groaned with delight, her mind emptying of everything that was not Aria T’loak.

Aria started collecting fistfuls of her dress, pulling the fabric up her legs. She felt the chill air on her calves and let her own hands slip from Aria’s collar to her breasts. Her thumbs ran a teasing touch over hardening nipples and she received a murmur of appreciation from the purple lips. She trapped one of the taut buds between thumb and forefinger, squeezing with just the amount of pressure that would drive Aria wild. Apparently, she was even further along than Tevos thought. She broke the kiss and dropped her head, rolling her eyes back bucking sharply forward with her hips. Brielle grinned and slid her free hand down Aria’s back until it settled on the swell of her ass.

At least, that had been the plan. Instead, she was met with hard plastic and stiff bristles.

“What in the name of Athame…”

She pulled the toothbrush from Aria’s back packet and held it up between them. She stared at it, completely baffled. Aria grinned wickedly.

“Um, dear… I am… adventurous, I’ll admit. But I’m not sure that this is… Why do you have a toothbrush in your pocket?”

Aria pushed back slightly, separating them enough so that their bodies still touched in several places, but they could still engage in conversation, “What can I say? I pack light.”

Aria dropped her lips back to Brielle’s throat, brushing them along the column of her neck. The councilor’s body responded instantly, her breath quickening and the blood pulsing more forcefully in the veins Aria was kissing.

“Mmmm… so… does that mean you’re… staying the night?”

Tevos’s free hand slid along the sensitive folds at the base of Aria’s neck. The fabric of her dress crept slowly up again, the fabric whispering against the fleshy back of her knee.

“More than just the one.”

The throbbing between her legs was having its usual mind-numbing effect, so it took several long moments for Tevos to process what she had just heard. Her hand was snaking its way beneath the cotton of Aria’s shirt when she stopped dead.

Hope made her voice crack, “More than one?”

Aria’s eyes met hers again, and there was a twinkle in them, “I was thinking… all of them.”

The air escaped her lungs in a terribly undignified squeak, “All of them? You mean… you’re moving in?”

“I understand that it’s more conventional to be invited.” Her lip curled up so that her canine tooth shone wetly, “But then I’ve never been very conventional. I told Bray this morning that Omega is his. Does that work for you?”

Her hand was against Aria’s chest, and so Tevos could feel the steady flutter of her heart through muscle and skin and bone. The constancy of the rhythm matched her own. The feel of her, solid and here in Brielle’s arms, her heart banging so hard against her fingertips that they jumped off of her skin with each beat was as a miracle to her. She could see, almost like a dream, falling asleep next to Aria and waking up next to her. Showering and eating breakfast and kissing her goodbye when she went to work. Coming home to her. To their home. It was what she had wanted for so long, and yet part of her never truly believed the day would come. Now here it was, and it was pure bliss.

Miraculously, her eyes were dry when she looked at Aria and said, “That works perfectly for me.”

Then they were kissing again and their bodies pressed together in all of those wonderful places. Her dress was inching higher again. Her mind raced as her hand finally finished its journey back to Aria’s breast. She never seemed to wear a bra. She wondered if Aria even owned one.

Tevos pulled back from the kiss again and this time Aria growled in frustration, “Aria! You have brought more than a toothbrush, haven’t you?”

Aria’s teeth clamped down on her pulse point and she shuddered. The dress was around her hips at last, and Aria’s hand was travelling slowly up the smooth expanse of her inner thigh.

“No.”

“But… Goddess, yes, do that again… but aren’t there other things you…”

Aria pulled away, separating their bodies completely with reluctance, “Is this really what you want to be talking about at the moment?”

“N-no, but…”

Aria’s hands came to her face, cradling her cheeks, “Everything else I need is already here.”

Tevos’s body slumped as her heart filled. Aria brought their faces together in a slow, reverent kiss. Her lips were soft and her tongue moved confidently but gently. She broke the kiss and looked into her lover’s eyes with such love and devotion that Tevos’s knees weakened. Her hand began to flare with blue flame, and, just as the warmth of it touched her cheek, Aria dropped the hand between their bodies. She gripped the fabric of Tevos’s panties and used her biotics to help tear them away. They fell in smoking ruins to the floor.

Aria swallowed her gasp of surprise in a kiss much hungrier than the last. Aria’s hand cupped between her legs, the diminishing heat of the biotics tingling and warming her dripping core. Tevos reached frantically between their bodies, yanking hard at Aria’s belt and practically tearing open the zipper of her pants. The toy was already stiff and full when she pulled it out, Aria groaning at her touch.

“Fuck, Brielle… I need you so bad.”

She threw one leg over Aria’s waist, pointing her toe and pulling her lover inexorably closer, “You have me. Every inch of me is yours. Do you have any idea how much I love you, Aria?”

Aria’s body shook with the need to press forward, to conquer what had been given to her, “Show me.”

Their bodies met. Tevos whimpered into her lips as Aria’s head teased against her entrance. There was an instant that encompassed an eternity when they both nearly fell to pieces under the weight of their need for each other. Then the frozen moment passed gently away and Tevos arched her body off of the wall just enough. Aria slipped inside her lover as though she had been built for nothing other than to fill her emptiness. The clinging heat wrapped around her shaft as she moved slowly forward. She gritted her teeth to keep from sobbing with relief. Tevos’s body pressed forward and up, taking ever more of Aria’s length into her. Somehow she found her other leg wrapped around Aria’s waist and she hooked her ankles together. Aria surged forward as her lover opened wider for her and she found herself buried completely inside.

She gripped the legs wrapped around her and stood perfectly still, allowing them both time to experience that perfect moment of union. She had intended to murmur endearments or flattery, but found herself unequal to the task. The only coherent thought that she could form was her need to fulfill their shared desire. Tevos adjusted her weight so that she was holding herself up on Aria’s strong shoulders, and Aria began to move. Slowly at first to find whether she could work this new position, but soon she found her bearings and thrust with earnest.

“Oh, Aria… you feel so good…”

Tevos gripped hard at her crest as she surged forward, trying and succeeding at finding that perfect angle. With each thrust forward she found herself falling into the infinite green depths of Tevos’s eyes. Black began to swirl in them and her breathing became ragged. Aria ached for release. She felt as though she would lose her mind at any moment. Fire raged in the pit of her stomach as the pressure between her legs built and built beyond what she thought was possible.

Without warning, Tevos’s back arched against the wall and her mind exploded forward. Her desire hit Aria so hard that she thought she may lose her strength. Tevos’s walls gripped her past the point of endurance and they screamed together. Bright white lights flashed across the swirling tumult of the meld and their bodies were inadequate to hold the power of their bliss. Tevos pushed her shoulders hard into the sweat-slicked wall as wave after wave of aftershocks crashed over her. She had no sense if they were her own or if she was only sharing in Aria’s ecstasy, but in a meld as deep as this a sense of self no longer existed.

Aria collapsed against her body, panting and spent. Slowly she lowered first one leg and then the other to the ground and allowed Aria to separate them reluctantly. Her lover’s exhausted body immediately fell against her again, and she wrapped her in her arms.

She let her fingers trail through the overheated folds at the back of Aria’s neck and whispered to herself, “No comparison. She’s the best.”


End file.
